Muographic Study of the Palazzone Necropolis (Perugia-Italy)

The Palazzone Necropolis, located southeast of the hill of Perugia (Italy), is an Etruscan archaeological site open to the public, and well-known thanks to the numerous finds and its (~)200 tombs from the Hellenistic age and 5 from the Archaic period. The most important tomb is represented by the Volumni Hypogeum. The Palazzone Necropolis is also defined as an archaeogeosite as it has been the subject of geological studies which, through the observation of the walls of the tombs, has made it possible to expand the geological framework for the interpretation of the formation of the Perugia hill. However, in the Palazzone Necropolis, the presence of other tombs is not excluded, especially in the eastern area of the archaeological site which is currently not open to visitors. The muography technique, thanks to the great penetrating power of atmospheric muons, fits into this context for the noninvasive identification of undiscovered cavities. This contribution will present the preliminary results of the muographic campaign carried out at the Palazzone Necropolis in which the observation of an entire hill was carried out. The results are also inserted in a geological context for the verification of the densities of the sediments that are present in this territory.