- chapter 13: Etruria and Corsica –
attributed the remains of a circuit wall with bastions, discovered near the south-eastern
boundary of the plateau and partially obliterated by the Roman amphitheater, and a nearby
residential quarter but above are the traces, highlighted by aerial photographs, of a system
of division of land, centered on an axis along which are arranged some intersections, which
seem to presuppose a colonial occupation, not unlike the kind practiced by the Etruscans
in other peripheral areas (Cristofani 1993; Jehasse, Jehasse 1997, 2001; Donati 2001;
Gilotta 2001, Jehasse 2004; Gran-Aymerich, Jehasse 2006). The pre-Roman Aleria,
however, is known primarily for the discovery of the necropolis of Casabianda (Jehasse,
Jehasse 1973, 2001), located south of the plateau of the city, with a portion of the tombs
which appear aligned along the axes set by the division of land established by the Etruscan
occupation. The oldest burials date only to the late sixth or early fi fth century bc and the
necropolis appears to remain in uninterrupted use, at least until the mid-third century
bc. The burials of Casabianda, whether for the tomb types, among which the chamber
tombs with dromos and internal benches stand out, or for the funerary rituals, with the
appearance of individual cremations, mark a decisive break with the island traditions,
anchored in the rest of the island to the practice of collective burials in caves and rock
shelters; this indicates a clear infl uence from Etruscan culture. In particular, choosing to
emphasize, in many male burials, the connotation of the deceased as a warrior, and also
in tombs with complex funerary offerings of vessels that recall, at the same time, the
practice of the “Greek-style” symposium, fi ts perfectly with the character of Aleria as a
center of the frontier, constantly exposed to serious threats, in sharp contrast with what
is found, for example, in fi fth-century bc Populonia, which in other respects denotes
strong ties with the Corsican city (Romualdi 2001). There is a close correspondence, for
example, between the imports of Attic pottery found in the necropoleis of the two centers
(Martelli 1981; Romualdi 2001), but belonging to production workshops that are only
sparsely represented in southern Etruria (Gilotta 2001; Romualdi 2004). This confi rms
the common business interests of Populonia and Aleria, and the full inclusion of the
latter, situated along the main sea connection that led from the south of the peninsula
to the centers of southern Gaul and Liguria, into the economic and cultural koine of the
Upper- and Middle-Tyrrhenian metal-bearing district. From the second quarter of the
fi fth century bc, moreover, the ceramic vessels and the main bronze products found in the
Casabianda necropolis, which remain at a high level even after the Syracusan raids of 453
and 384 bc, demonstrate the broad spectrum of the commercial relationships of Aleria,
with an increased volume of trade with some port-centers of Campania, Gaul, Spain
and – supposedly through the mediation of Populonia – with the Adriatic emporium
of Spina, through which much of the pottery from Greece arrived in the Corsican center
(Romualdi 2004). From the middle decades of the fourth century bc, however, the volume
of imported Attic pottery to Aleria sees a drastic reduction in a meaningful analogy with
what was observed in Populonia but, especially from the end of the century, imports from
workshops of Latium and southern Etruria gain in quantity. As regards, for example, the
Etruscan red-fi gure vases, the Caeretan component has a decided priority compared to
other products attested in the Corsican center, that come from the Faliscan, Chiusine-
Volterran, Tarquinian and Vulcian territories (Ambrosini 2007; see Chapter 52). This
new orientation of the commercial interests of Aleria seems connected with the growing
power of Rome, which would eventually be a driving force for the economy of the main
centers of Latium and especially Cerveteri, bound to the Urbs by privileged agreements.
The mining district built on the combination of Elba-Populonia, with the latter perhaps