- Giovanna Bagnasco Gianni –
preserved inside an elevation of the fl oor, marked by walls and votive deposits (Fig.
29.3).^6 Therefore these archaeological evidences are tightly connected to the concepts of
memory, authority and recognizability that are crucial for the survival of traditions and
place attachment for the majority of ancient communities.^7
The central axis, oriented south-north, which defi nitively overlies the natural cavity
in the Archaic period, is evidently the result of the very early design of the precincts
of the west and east areas of the Orientalizing period. Two recently discovered cultic
arrangements, located west and east of the natural cavity and dating back to the fi rst phases
of the area, open the way to the thesis of the crossing of two main axes over the natural
cavity (Fig. 29.4). The result is the partition of the whole area into four quadrants, which
Figure 29.2 Tarquinia, “monumental complex,” the two pits in front of the “altar temple” and the
discovery of the bronzes. Courtesy of Università degli Studi di Milano, “Progetto Tarquinia” archive.Figure 29.3 Tarquinia, “monumental complex,” area γ overlapping the Villanovan structures.
(Graphic reconstruction by Matilde Marzullo). Courtesy of Università degli Studi di Milano,
“Progetto Tarquinia” archive.