Archaic Quarrying and Construction in the Urban Area of Caere

Abstract

Excavations carried out by Queen’s University in the Vigna Marini Vitalini, which is located within the urban centre of the ancient city of Caere, have revealed significant evidence of quarrying activity. These quarries have been discovered in several locations across the Vigna Marini Vitalini and were all backfilled to provide space for later urban expansion. The closure of most of the quarries discovered here, as well as elsewhere in Caere, can be dated to various points of the Archaic period, which was an era of notable social and political change for the city. This paper will investigate the techniques and material extracted from these quarries to answer questions about their role in the construction and industrial activity of the urban centre, and the broader structure and development of urbanization at Caere in the Archaic Period.