- chapter 31: Orvieto, Campo della Fiera –
Ceramic fragments found in a small hole dug in the fi rst surviving row (Fig. 31.19) can
be attributed to a rite of re-foundation of the boundary during the construction of the
second temenos wall. This partially overlaps the fi rst one and then diverges to the east (Fig.
31.2 no. 11). It is provided with a threshold of blocks of trachyte with stop and hinge
holes for a door that opens from the inside of the enclosure (Fig. 31.20). The material
used for the threshold is the same as all other architectural elements that belong to a
signifi cant structural change subsequent to the events of 264 bc.
A third wall built in opus reticulatum narrows the space (Fig. 31.2 no. 12) and closes an
area that includes the monuments evidently considered the most signifi cant (Temple A,
altar, thesaurus, donario, and quadrangular structure). One wall in opus reticulatum begins
from Temple A and ends at the northern limit of the threshold of trachyte, where the
door is re-constructed with housings of the cornerstones with cubilia. The walls in opus
reticulatum are to be connected to the resurfacing of the fl oor of Temple A. At the same
time, remains of votive offerings were placed in the three deposits.
Figure 31.18 Attic vase in form of a Maenad’s head.Figure 31.19 Cavity in foundation course of the fi rst temenos wall.