[Web : Vesti] Izložba antičkih svetiljki u Konaku knjeginje Ljubice, Blic

„Dobro svetlim – antičke svetiljke iz Muzeja grada Beograda“ naziv je izložbe čiji je autor dr Slavica Krunić, a koja se 30. juna u 12 sati otvara u Konaku knjeginje Ljubice.

„Dobro svetlim“ je noseći multidisciplinarni projekat Muzeja grada Beograda u 2011. godini. Ovaj kompleksni projekat nastao je kao rezultat višegodišnjih istraživanja dr Slavice Krunić, i tima stručnjaka iz Muzeja grada Beograda, vezanih za antički Singidunum.

 

Naziv projekta inspirisan je delom natpisa sa jedne od lampi nađenoj na teritoriji Singidunuma. Na ovoj fragmentarno sačuvanoj lampi stručnjaci su pročitali reljefni natpis “Recte illuminas”, što se sa latinskog jezika može prevesti kao dobro svetlim. U svetu je pronađen veoma mali broj lampi sa ovakvom vrstom natpisa.

 

 

U jedinstvenom prostoru Sale pod svodovima, biće prikazano više aspekata života u antičkom Singidunumu.

 

Uz priču o upotrebi lampi, tehnologiji goriva, načinima izrade, trgovini i prodavnicama, centralni deo postavke činiće vitrine sa eksponatima podeljenim u nekoliko celina: tzv. “firma lampe” sa pečatima radionice ili majstora, figuralne lampe, kasnoantičke glazirane lampe, bronzane lampe i posebno izdvojeni najreprezentativniji nalazi.

Okrugli sto pod nazivom „Dobro svetlim“, na kome će učestvovati eminentni stučnjaci iz oblasti antičke umetnosti i kulture održaće se u septembru 2011. Tokom tri meseca trajanja izložbe svake subote u 13 časova i na zakazivanje biće organizovana stručna predavanja i vođenja kroz izložbu.

 

Ova izložba u širem smislu predstavlja i priču o ekspanziji rimske imperije i njenih političkih, vojnih, privrednih, kulturnih i religijskih uticaja na prostorima današnje Srbije, a tada provincije Gornje Mezije. Iz drugog ugla ova izložba može da se prati i kao priča o nastanku masovne proizvodnje i nastanku prvih firmi – brendova.

 

Izložbu prati katalog izložbe na 40 strana, na srpskom i odvojeno na engleskom jeziku. Dizajn kataloga i izložbe Damir Vlajnić, Dizajn izložbe Stevan Ćuričić Tehnička priprema Predrag Dakić, konzervator Nikolina Adamović, crteži Milovan Ristić, fotografije Vladimir Popović i Aleksandar Radoman.

 

Sledeće godine planirano je gostovanje izložbe u muzejima širom Srbije: Subotica, Novi Sad, Šabac, Zaječar, Niš, Kraljevo, Kruševac, Kragujevac.

[Web : Vesti] A Herculean effort

 

After nearly 20 years, and €16m spent on restoration, an archaeological site dedicated to Hercules is set to open to the public

TIVOLI/ROME. On 23 June, the Sanctuary of Hercules in Tivoli, Italy will open to the public for the first time following years of restoration work and significant investment.

Built at the end of the second century AD as a place of worship in honour of Hercules the Victor, the vast complex has had a tumultuous history. After a period of abandonment, from the 18th century onward it became the site of various industrial ventures including a gunpowder factory, a paper-mill and Italy’s first hydroelectric power plant.

Since 1983, around €11 million has been spent on excavating and renovating the site and in 2008 a further €5 million was allocated to the Department of Archaeological Heritage, Lazio for the regeneration project which is now nearing its completion.

A museum has been constructed to house important archaeological finds from the site, and the restored 700-seat open air theatre will present a calendar of events throughout the summer. In addition to its rich Roman heritage, the new centre will also embrace its role in the history of Italian civil engineering. Proposals have been invited on how to best redevelop the paper mill and the winning submission will be announced during the opening.

[Web : Vesti] Otvorena restaurirana istočna kapija Romulijane, Blic

ZAJEČAR - Istočna kapija u Feliks Romulijani arheološkom nalazištu koje je od 2007. godine na spisku zaštićenih kulturnih dobara Uneska, restaurirana je i otvorena danas, a sledeće godine očekuje se otvaranje dodatni renovirane zapadne kapije.

Istočna kapija carske palate Romulijana, koja je 2007. godine upisana na Uneskovu Listu svetske prirodne i kulturne baštine, predstavlja jedinstveni primer tradicionalne rimske arhitekture iz perioda druge tetrarhije.

Između 2009. i 2011. godine izvršena su arheološka istraživanja južne kule starijeg utvrđenja i na prostoru između kula oba utvrđenja, i tom prilikom se došlo do vrlo interesantnih pokretnih nalaza koji rasvetljavaju period između drugog i četvrtog veka, kada je na teritoriji današnje Srbije rođeno 17 rimskih careva.

Restauriranu istočnu kapiju predstavili su ministar kulture, informisanja i informacionog društva Predrag Marković, ambasador Nemačke u Srbiji Volfram Mas i gradonačelnik Zaječara Boško Ničić.

”Ministarstvo je uložilo 40 odsto sredstava, i uspeli smo na adekvatan način da stvorimo uslove za turističku i kulturnu privredu. Sledeće godine ćemo otvoriti dodatno renoviranu zapadnu kapiju i svih narednih godina ćemo pokazivati kako čuvamo i materijalno i nematerijalno nasleđe”, rekao je Marković.

Projekat "Restauracija i konzervacija istočne kapije arheološkog nalazišta Romulijana" finansirali su i Nemačka, Narodni muzej Zaječar i grad Zaječar. Ukupna vrednost izvršenih radova je 13,8 miliona dinara.

Osnovni cilj konzervatorsko-restauratorskih radova je očuvanje i prezentacija otkrivenih građevina koje čine sklop istočne kapije palate. Obnovljena istočna kapija će, pre svega, poslužiti za turističku prezentaciju carske palate, jer će se priča o imperatoru Galeriju, koji je 311. godine doneo prvi edikt o toleranciji vera, i njegovoj majci Romuli, predstaviti na isti način kako je to rađeno pre 17 vekova, kroz velelepne zidine obnovljenog moćnog zdanja.

[Web : Vesti] Novo lice Feliks Romulijane

IZVOR: TANJUG

Ministar kulture, informisanja i informacionog društva Predrag Marković, ambasador SR Nemačke u Srbiji Volfram Mas i gradonačelnik Zaječara Boško Ničić predstaviće u ponedeljak, 20. juna, restauriranu istočnu kapiju u Feliks Romulijani.

Pre samog otvaranja, u zaječarskom Narodnom muzeju biće održana prezentacija projekta rekonstrukcije istočne kapije, najavilo je Ministarstvo kulture. 

Projekat “Restauracija i konzervacija istočne kapije arheološkog nalazišta Romulijana“ finansirali su SR Nemačka, Ministarstvo kulture Srbije, Narodni muzej Zaječar i grad Zaječar. Ukupna vrednost izvršenih radova je 13.765.952 dinara, precizira se u saopštenju. 

Istočna kapija carske palate Romulijana, koja je 2007. godine upisana na Uneskovu Listu svetske prirodne i kulturne baštine, predstavlja jedinstveni primer tradicionalne rimske arhitekture iz perioda druge tetrarhije. 

Između 2009. i 2011. izvršena su arheološka istraživanja južne kule starijeg utvrđenja i na prostoru između kula oba utvrđenja. Tom prilikom došlo se do vrlo interesantnih pokretnih nalaza koji rasvetljavaju period između II i IV veka, kada je na teritoriji današnje Srbije rođeno 17 rimskih careva. 

Osnovni cilj planiranja i realizacije projekta konzervatorsko-restauratorskih radova je očuvanje i prezentacija otkrivenih građevina koje čine sklop istočne kapije palate. Projektom su bili obuhvaćeni radovi na kulama i stupcima starijeg utvrđenja, kulama i luku iznad ulaza mlađeg utvrđenja i na popločavanju između kula. Time je glavni ulaz u palatu dobio nekadašnji sjaj i monumentalnost. 

Obnovljena istočna kapija će, pre svega, poslužiti za turističku prezentaciju carske palate, jer će se priča o imperatoru Galeriju (koji je 311. godine doneo prvi edikt o toleranciji vera) i njegovoj majci Romuli predstaviti na isti način kako je to rađeno pre 17 vekova, kroz velelepne zidine obnovljenog moćnog zdanja za koje je njegov najveći istraživač prof. Dragoslav Srejović rekao da je “prebogata škrinja koja blista u svojoj veličanstvenoj usamljenosti”.

[Web : Vesti] Hadrian's buildings catch the Sun

The Emperor's country estate is aligned to meet the solstices.

Eric Hand 

Hadrian's villa 30 kilometres east of Rome was a place where the Roman Emperor could relax in marble baths and forget about the burdens of power. But he could never completely lose track of time, says Marina De Franceschini, an Italian archaeologist who believes that some of the villa's buildings are aligned so as to produce sunlight effects for the seasons.
For centuries, scholars have thought that the more than 30 buildings at Hadrian's palatial country estate were oriented more or less randomly. But De Franceschini says that during the summer solstice, blades of light pierce two of the villa's buildings.
In one, the Roccabruna, light from the summer solstice enters through a wedge-shaped slot above the door and illuminates a niche on the opposite side of the interior (see image). And in a temple of the Accademia building, De Franceschini has found that sunlight passes through a series of doors during both the winter and summer solstices.
"The alignments gave me a new key of interpretation," says De Franceschini, who says that the two buildings are connected by an esplanade that was a sacred avenue during the solstices. Based on ancient texts describing religious rituals and study of recovered sculptures, she thinks the light effects were linked to religious ceremonies associated with the Egyptian goddess Isis, who was adopted by the Romans.
De Franceschini, who works with the University of Trento in Italy, will publish a book¹ this summer describing the archaeoastronomical work. She credits two architects, Robert Mangurian and Mary-Ann Ray, for initially noticing the light effect in Roccabruna.

Astronomical alignment

Robert Hannah, a classicist from the University of Otago in New Zealand, says that De Franceschini's ideas are plausible. "They're certainly ripe for further investigation," he says.
Hannah, who is currently seeking to pin down alignments associated with star rises in Greek temples in Cyprus, believes that the Pantheon, a large temple in Rome with a circular window at the top of its dome, also acts as a giant calendrical sundial², with sunlight illuminating key interior surfaces at the equinoxes and on 21 April, the city's birthday.

Few classical buildings have been investigated for astronomical alignment, says Hannah, partly because it is much easier to check for alignments in prehistoric structures such as Stonehenge, which do not have potentially contradictory artefacts.
Jarita Holbrook, a cultural astronomer at the University of Arizona in Tucson, is also not surprised by the solar alignments at Hadrian's villa. They are "a common part of most cultures", she says. But, she adds, it's also easy for buildings to be coincidentally aligned with astronomical features.
De Franceschini plans to spend next week's summer solstice at Hadrian's villa, in the hope of documenting the light effects at Apollo's temple more carefully. Last year's summer solstice was rainy, she says. "I hope that this year we will get better pictures." 

• References

  1. De Franceschini, M. & Veneziano, G. Villa Adriana: Architettura Celeste: I Segreti dei Solstizi (in the press).
  2. Hannah, R. Time in Antiquity (Routledge, 2008).

[Vesti] Blic : Pronađena glava boginje Dijane

NIŠ - Na arheološkom nalazištu Medijana u Nišu pronađena je mermerna ženska glava za koju se pretpostavlja da je deo skulpture boginje Dijane, odnosno Artemide.

- U urušenom delu, gde se nekada nalazila Konstantinova vila, nađena je skulptura za koju se pretpostavlja da je u pitanju boginja Dijana, odnosno Artemida.

Iznenadili smo se da smo na samom početku istraživanja došli do ovako bitnog otkrića, koje za nas ima veliku vrednost. Prema kvalitetu rada pretpostavljamo da potiče iz drugog veka pre naše ere i najverovatnije je u vilu doneta prilikom njenog uređenja. Radićemo dodatne analize, pa ćemo u nekom narednom periodu imati više informacija.

Pored toga što očekujemo da otkrijemo i drugi deo mozaika, verujemo da ćemo do septembra naći još dosta interesantnih stvari - kaže Gordana Milošević, koja se nalazi na čelu tima na projektu „Konstantinova vila 2010-2011“. Arheološka istraživanja u ovom delu traja do septembra, a ovaj projekat realizuje se u saradnji Arheološkog instituta u Beogradu, Narodnog muzeja u Nišu i Zavoda za zaštitu spomenika Niš.

[Vesti] The New York Times : After 90 Years, a Dictionary of an Ancient World

Martha Roth, dean of humanities at the University of Chicago, and Gil Stein, director of the Oriental Institute there.

By JOHN NOBLE WILFORD

Published: June 6, 2011

Ninety years in the making, the 21-volume dictionary of the language of ancient Mesopotamia and its Babylonian and Assyrian dialects, unspoken for 2,000 years but preserved on clay tablets and in stone inscriptions deciphered over the last two centuries, has finally been completed by scholars at the University of Chicago. 

This was the language that Sargon the Great, king of Akkad in the 24th century B.C., spoke to command what is reputed to be the world’s first empire, and that Hammurabi used around 1700 B.C. to proclaim the first known code of laws. It was the vocabulary of the Epic of Gilgamesh, the first masterpiece of world literature. Nebuchadnezzar II presumably called on these words to soothe his wife, homesick for her native land, with the promise of cultivating the wondrous Hanging Gardens of Babylon. 

On all levels, this was the language of enterprise, the irrigation of lands and shipments of cultivated grain, and of fate foretold. Medical texts in Babylonia gave explicit instructions as to how to read a sheep’s liver to divine the future. 

At a conference on Monday, historians, archaeologists and specialists in ancient Semitic languages assessed the significance of the comprehensive dictionary, which Gil Stein, director of the university’s Oriental Institute, said “is an indispensable research tool for any scholar anywhere who seeks to explore the written record of the Mesopotamian civilization.” 

One scholar who has relied on the project’s research at various stages since the 1960s, Jerrold Cooper, professor emeritus in Semitic languages at Johns Hopkins University, said the dictionary’s importance “can’t possibly be overestimated.” It opens up for study “the richest span of cuneiform writing,” he said, referring to the script invented in the fourth millennium B.C. by the earlier Sumerians in Mesopotamia. 

This was probably the first writing system anywhere, and the city-states that arose in the Tigris and Euphrates River Valleys, mainly in what is present-day Iraq and parts of Syria, are considered the earliest urban and literate civilization. The dictionary, with 28,000 words now defined in their various shades of meaning, covers a period from 2500 B.C. to A.D. 100. 

Oddly, for a work reflecting such meticulous research, its title, the Chicago Assyrian Dictionary, is an outdated misnomer. When the project was started in 1921 by James Henry Breasted, founder of the Oriental Institute, much of the written material in hand was attributed to Assyrian rulers. Also, biblical references left the impression that the term “Assyrian” was synonymous with most Semitic languages in antiquity, and so it is often used still to describe the academic field of study. Actually, the basic language in question is Akkadian.

And the dictionary is more of an encyclopedia than simply a concise glossary of words and definitions. Many words with multiple meanings and extensive associations with history are followed by page after page of discourse ranging through literature, law, religion, commerce and everyday life. There are, for example, 17 pages devoted to the word “umu,” meaning “day.” 

The word “ardu,” for slave, introduces extensive material available on slavery in the culture. And it may or may not reflect on the society that one of its more versatile verbs was “kalu,” which in different contexts can mean detain, delay, hold back, keep in custody, interrupt and so forth. The word “di nu,” like “case” in English, Dr. Cooper pointed out, can refer to a legal case or lawsuit, a verdict or judgment, or to law in general. 

“Every term, every word becomes a window into the culture,” Martha T. Roth, dean of humanities at Chicago who has worked on the project since 1979 and has been its editor in charge since 1996, said last week.

Even a dead language can prompt lively debate, as Matthew W. Stolper, a Chicago professor long involved in the project, once wrote. The dictionary’s translations, he noted, “run the gamut between conclusions founded on an unshakable array of evidence and provocative assertions about slim data.” All in all, he said, this “has provoked, cajoled, advanced and shaped the scholarship of a generation of not always cheerful Mesopotamianists.” 

Dr. Roth expects more of the same. She said the full dictionary “provides the foundation upon which all other scholarship will be built,” and was “never intended to be the last word.” 

So why did the project take so long to complete? 

At the start, Dr. Breasted foresaw a set of six volumes, modeled on the Oxford English Dictionary, being published simultaneously in two or three decades. But entering words and examples of their use on close to two million index cards was tedious work for the professors and graduate students who were also busy with classes and other research. The low-tech task seemed endless: Previously unknown words or new usages of known words were always coming to light in archaeological ruins. 

After World War II, the project was reorganized and the pace picked up; the first volume was published in 1956. Under the vigorous editorship of A. Leo Oppenheim, then Erica Reiner and finally Dr. Roth, 20 volumes were released over 55 years.

A full set sells for $1,995, and individual volumes range from $45 to $150. But they are also available, free of charge, online.

[Vesti] Politika : Ot­kri­ve­ni osta­ci rim­ske Do­ma­vi­je

Osta­ci naj­va­žni­jeg pri­vred­nog se­di­šta i naj­ve­ćeg rim­skog gra­da na Bal­ka­nu ot­kri­ve­ni u na­se­lju Do­nja Gra­di­na kod Sre­bre­ni­ce

Od na­šeg stal­nog do­pi­sni­ka

Ba­nja­lu­ka – Di­rek­tor Mu­ze­ja Sem­be­ri­ja iz Bi­je­lji­ne, ma­gi­star ar­he­o­lo­gi­je Mir­ko Ba­bić, po­tvr­dio je ju­če na­šem li­stu da su u na­se­lju Do­nja Gra­di­na, kod rud­ni­ka olo­va i cin­ka Sa­se u oko­li­ni Sre­bre­ni­ce, pro­na­đe­ni osta­ci rim­skog na­se­lja Do­ma­vi­ja, sta­rog 1.760 go­di­na. On je ka­zao da je do ovog ot­kri­ća do­šlo slu­čaj­no, pri­li­kom pro­šlo­go­di­šnjeg ko­pa­nja ka­na­la za se­o­ski vo­do­vod.

– Ko­pa­ju­ći ka­nal u dvo­ri­štu Še­fi­ka La­ti­fo­vi­ća i Živ­ka Mi­lo­va­no­vi­ća rad­ni­ci su ot­ko­pa­li ostat­ke zi­di­na, ka­men s nat­pi­som i ukle­sa­nom fi­gu­rom. O to­me su oba­ve­sti­li nad­le­žne, i mi smo, za­hva­lju­ju­ći fi­nan­sij­skoj po­dr­šci Vla­de Re­pu­bli­ke Srp­ske, po­če­li da is­tra­žu­je­mo ovaj lo­ka­li­tet. Za se­dam da­na ot­kri­li smo zi­di­ne pr­ve mo­nu­men­tal­ne gra­đe­vi­ne s ka­me­nim do­vrat­ni­ci­ma i rim­ski sar­ko­fag s re­ljef­nim nat­pi­som. U oko­li­ni smo na­i­šli i na ostat­ke sta­rih rim­skih pu­te­va – re­kao nam je Ba­bić.

On je pod­se­tio da je reč o mu­ni­ci­pi­ju­mu iz raz­do­blja oko 250. go­di­ne no­ve ere, ko­ji je na­stao u vre­me rim­ske di­na­sti­je Se­ve­ra. Do­ma­vi­ja je pod nji­ho­vom vla­da­vi­nom do­ži­ve­la pro­cvat i bi­la je pri­vred­no se­di­šte Pa­no­ni­je i Dal­ma­ci­je. Ona je bi­la je­dan od naj­va­žni­jih me­ta­lur­ških cen­ta­ra Rim­skog car­stva. Do­ma­vi­ja se br­zo raz­vi­ja­la zbog to­ga što se ov­de eks­plo­a­ti­sa­lo sre­bro, zla­to i dru­gi ple­me­ni­ti me­ta­li, ob­ja­snio je Ba­bić.

Naš sa­go­vor­nik je do­dao da je u to vre­me po­li­tič­ko se­di­šte Rim­skog car­stva bio Mu­ni­ci­pi­jum Mal­ve­si­ja­ti­jum, u Ske­la­ni­ma, či­je je ar­he­o­lo­ške ostat­ke ot­krio pre tri go­di­ne.

– Do­ma­vi­ja je bi­la naj­va­žni­je pri­vred­no se­di­šte i naj­ve­ći rim­ski grad na Bal­ka­nu. U nje­mu je ži­ve­lo od 30.000 do 50.000 lju­di. Ve­ći­na se ba­vi­la ru­dar­stvom, a rad­ni­ci su do­vo­đe­ni iz svih de­lo­va Rim­ske im­pe­ri­je. Ov­de je bi­lo oko 60 zla­ta­ra či­ji su se pro­iz­vo­di pro­da­va­li u Spli­tu, Du­brov­ni­ku, a bro­do­vi­ma su do­pre­ma­ni i u Rim – re­kao je Mir­ko Ba­bić.

– Naš cilj je da vra­ti­mo in­te­res na­uč­ne jav­no­sti za Do­ma­vi­ju, ko­ju su go­di­na­ma za­po­sta­vi­li ar­he­o­lo­zi. Na­ša na­me­ra je da ot­kri­ve­ne ostat­ke drev­nih ci­vi­li­za­ci­ja va­lo­ri­zu­je­mo i da ih pre­tvo­ri­mo u kul­tur­no-tu­ri­stič­ku po­nu­du Sem­be­ri­je i Pod­ri­nja. Zbog to­ga smo na­pra­vi­li Ar­he­o­lo­ški mu­zej u Ske­la­ni­ma i u nje­ga će­mo pre­ne­ti pred­me­te iz Do­ma­vi­je i Sa­sa – ot­kri­va Mir­ko Ba­bić.

Bo­ro Ma­rić

objavljeno: 08.06.2011

[Web : vesti] Nastavljena obnova Konstantinove vile

Nastavljeni radovi na arheološkom lokalitetu Medijana i u gradu Nišu. Za radove u 2011. godini izdvojeno 6,4 miliona dinara

U Nišu je počela druga faza radova na obnovi Konstantinove vile na arheološkom nalazištu Medijana. Reč je o trogodišnjem projektu koji ima za cilj da se do obeležavanja 1700. godišnjice Milanskog edikta 2013. vila obnovi, kako bi posetioci mogli da se upoznaju sa načinom života iz Konstantinovog doba. Za ovogodišnje radove, Ministarstvo kulture je izdvojilo 6,4 miliona dinara, a da se sve odvija po planu, prilikom nedavnog obilaska Medijane uverio se i ministar Predrag Marković.

- Trenutno se radi na arheološkom istraživanju koje će trajati do septembra, a zatim sledi revitalizacija vile i taj posao trajaće do sredine decembra - kaže dr Gordana Milošević koja se nalazi na čelu projekta “Konstantinova vila 2010-2013”.
Do kraja decembra predviđeno je, kako smo saznali, da se završe radovi na otkrivanju kružnih prostorija Konstantinove vile, kao i da se izrade modeli za rekonstrukciju termi. Biće urađeni i modeli kapitela i stubova u digitalnom obliku, posle čega će izabrani modeli biti izrađeni u prirodnoj veličini od prirodnog i veštačkog kamena. U saradnji sa Centralnim institutom za konzervaciju i Visokim institutom za konzervaciju iz Rima, tokom leta na ovom lokalitetu biće održan kurs o zaštiti i konzervaciji fresaka, a uradiće se i preventivna zaštita pokretnog arheološkog materijala.
Među najznačajnijim rezultatima lanjskih radova, svakako je otkrivanje nove prostorije sa mozaikom površine 16 kvadrata.
Inače, u vreme nastanka (kraj trećeg ili početak četvrtog veka) lokalitet Medijana obuhvatao je površinu od 40 hektara i predstavljao je rezidencijalno-ekonomski kompleks otvorenog tipa. Središnji prostor Medijane zauzimaju ostaci vile sa peristilom, nimfejom i termama, sakralni kompleks i ostaci žitnice - horeuma sa pitosima, kao i veliki broj profanih građevina. Arheološka iskopavanja na ovom nalazištu, sa prekidima, izvode se još od daleke 1864. godine.


TURIZAM
Obnovljeni objekti na Medijani svakako će obogatiti turističku ponudu Niša i okoline, a uz Feliks Romulijanu, Lepenski vir, Viminacijum i dunavske tvrđave, predstavljaće jednu od najznačajnijih destinacija kulturnog turizma u Srbiji.
 

[Web : vesti] ETRUSCAN HOUSE REVEALS ANCIENT DOMESTIC LIFE

Italian archaeologists have discovered the first-ever intact Etruscan house, complete with furniture, bricks and terracotta tiles identical to the ones still used in Tuscany today.
Found at an archaeological site called Poggiarello Renzetti in the Tuscan town of Vetulonia, some 120 miles north of Rome, the 2,400-year-old building has been only partially excavated.

SLIDE SHOW: Explore the full collection of items unearthed at this Etruscan domicile here.

Constructed in the Hellenistic period between the third and first century B.C., the house, about 33 by 50 feet, consisted of a basement to store foodstuffs and a residential area where the rather wealthy owner lived with his family.
Although only a storage room has been brought to light by a joint team from a local archaeological museum and the Archaeological Superintendency of Tuscany, the standing ruins have been already hailed as an exceptional find.
"It's the Pompeii of the Etruscans. We are not dealing with tombs, but with some vivid remains of daily life," Simona Rafanelli, director of the excavation at Vetulonia's Isidoro Falchi Archaeological Museum, told Discovery News.
Paintings and artifacts found in burial chambers have so far provided our best glimpse into the Etruscan world.
Rising from prehistory around 900 B.C., these fun-loving and sensuous people forged Italy's most sophisticated civilization before the Romans. First defeated by the Romans in the 4th century B.C., the Etruscans became Roman citizens in 90 B.C., and their culture virtually vanished.
They left no literature to document their society -- just a few traces of their puzzling, non-Indo-European language survive. Only the richly decorated tombs they left behind have provided clues to fully reconstruct their history.
"This intact house is helping us to write a new piece of Etruscan history since we can better understand their building techniques. With what we have found, we will be able to completely reconstruct the entire house," Rafanelli said.
The researchers believe that the room featured an "Etruscan loft" made from wood and clay, with wooden beams supporting it. Among the building materials, the team unearthed several parallelepiped-shaped clay bricks. They were placed on top of the dry stone walls and supported the wooden beams for the roof, which was covered with modern-looking terracotta tiles.
"These are the first intact Etruscan bricks ever found. Usually, the clay dissolves and, apart from some fragments, all that remains are red layers. These bricks have survived because they have been baked by the fire that destroyed the house," Rafanelli said.
Indeed, little pieces of charcoal, burnt wood beams and fragments of burnt pottery indicate that the house collapsed during a fire, probably set by dictator Lucius Cornelius Sulla in 79 B.C.
"At that time, Etruscans and Romans lived peacefully together in Vetulonia," Rafanelli said.
According to Larissa Bonfante, professor of classics at New York University and an authority on the Etruscan civilization, the discovery is "really remarkable."
"This two-story domus allows us to imagine the Etruscans of Vetulonia living in their houses, and not just in relation to the dead buried in their tombs," Bonfante told Discovery News.
As the excavation continues, the archaeologists believe other exciting findings might come to light.
"This is just a little part of the house. Our goal is to uncover the entire structure, and we are excited for what we might find in the residential areas." Giuliana Agricoli, an archaeologist at the Archaeological Superintendency of Tuscany, told Discovery News.
The team hopes to excavate the entire quarter and bring to light new houses and structures, including the remains of a monumental staircase which headed to an important building, perhaps a temple, on top of the hill.

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