Ebook: The nEU-Med Project: Vetricella, an Early Medieval Royal Property on Tuscany's Mediterranean

With contributions by Alexander Agostini, Veronica Aniceti, Giovanna Bianchi, Arianna Briano, Mauro Paolo Buonincontri, Isabella Carli, Letizia Castelli, Cristina Cicali, Luisa Dallai, Gaetano Di Pasquale, Alessio Fiore, Bernard Gratuze, Richard Hodges, Lorenzo Marasco, Pierluigi Pieruccini, Marta Rossi, Alessia Rovelli, Luisa Russo, Davide Susini, Serena Viva and Vanessa Volpi.

The nEU-Med project is part of the Horizon 2020 programme, in the ERC Advanced project category. It began in October 2015 and the University of Siena is the host institution of the project. The project is focussed upon two Tuscan riverine corridors leading from the Gulf of Follonica in the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Colline Metallifere. It aims to document and analyze the form and timeframe of economic growth in this part of the Mediterranean, which took place between the 7th and the 12thc. Central to this is an understanding of the processes of change in human settlements, in the natural and farming landscapes in relation to the exploitation of resources, and in the implementation of differing political strategies.

This volume presents the multi-disciplinary research focussed upon the key site of the project, Vetricella, and its territory. Vetricella is thought to be the site of Valli, a royal property in the Tuscan march. It is the only Early Medieval property to be extensively studied in Italy. Located on Italy’s Tyrrhenian coast, the archaeology and history of this site provide new insights on estate management, metal production and wider Mediterranean relations in the later first millennium. Apart from reports on the archaeology, the finds from excavations and environmental studies, three essays consider the wider European historical and archaeological context of Vetricella. Future monographs will feature studies by members of the project team on aspects of Vetricella, its finds and territory.