Scoppieto Archaeological Area

Scoppieto Archaeological Area

The extensive Scoppieto archaeological site just outside of Baschi is situated on a plateau overlooking the Tiber Valley, an area rich in clay deposits, blessed with water and fertile farmland. 

The site is at the entrance to an archaeological nature trail in the Tiber River Park and offers an overview of the settlements that developed around the river, which served as a vital means of communication and, of course, transportation. A tour of the area complements a visit to Baschi's own Antiquarium (museum of antiquities), where relics uncovered during excavations are on display.

 

 

The University of Perugia, which has been conducting excavations here since 1995, has uncovered the remains of a 4th century B.C.E. sanctuary over which a ceramics factory was built in the late first century B.C.E.

The factory remained operational for about a century and made crockery known as terra sigillata (or sealed earth) named after the seal – sigillum – used to imprint decorative motifs on the ceramic objects. Aside from chalices, cups, plates and bowls with a smooth coral-red surface, they also manufactured lamps and bricks.

The 2,000 m2 area that has been uncovered to date has revealed some potters' stations, each one with a basin for clay, a wheel and a brazier. Other processes, such as clay purification and firing, were also carried out here. The ceramics made by the craftsmen from Scoppieto bear their signatures allowing scientists to trace a map of their distribution:  they were easily transported at low cost by the  Tiber River and then across the entire nearby Mediterranean basin. After the ceramics manufacturing activity ceased, the area became a residential zone until the 4th century C.E. 

Explore the surroundings
Main attractions in the vicinity