S. Sisto Project 2020. The archaeology of centres of public power in Pisa|S. SISTO PROJECT 2020. ARCHEOLOGIA DEI CENTRI DEL POTERE PUBBLICO A PISA

The article presents and discusses the results of the first excavation campaign conducted in the garden of the church of S. Sisto, in the historical centre of Pisa, in 2020. The research came about in connection with the Excellence Project entitled “I tempi delle strutture. Resilienze, accelerazioni e percezioni del cambiamento (nello spazio euro-mediterraneo)” by the Department of Civilisations and Forms of Knowledge at the University of Pisa, which, as regards the medieval and archaeological component, envisages the study of the areas of public power in Tuscany (curtes regie, curtes marchionis, domus communis and domus episcopia) between the 7th and 12th centuries. In the medieval era, the space occupied today by the garden was situated between the church of S. Sisto, founded in 1087 by the “gloriosi pisani” who had taken part in the expedition against the Al Mahdiya saracens, at Tunis, and the church of S. Pietro, which in 1027 was mentioned as standing in the “Old Court”. This Court has traditionally been identified by scholars as the seat of public power in use between the Lombard era and the start of the 11th century. It was apparently later abandoned, acquiring the adjective “Old”, with the disappearance of the Counts, shortly after the year 1000, before then having a new public function with the foundation of S. Sisto, which was destined to become a sort of Staatskirche for the people of Pisa during the 12th century, when the space adjacent to the building housed an annual fair and an embolo, a porticoed structure which craft workshops opened onto. The excavation made it possible to reach the 12th century stratigraphy, the period to which the construction of a wall is dated that runs parallel to the church of S. Sisto, which likely formed the southern perimeter of one arm of the cloister attested to at the end of the 13th century, paved with slabs laid over large masonry-built tombs. The bulding was destroyed at the beginning of the 15th century, probably at the time when the Florentines conquered the city. Nevetheless, the material finds show that the area has been frequented over an extended, uninterrupted period from the second half of the 7th century BC up until today. In particular, the possible presence below the 12th century levels of features relating to the old court cited in 1027 seems to be suggested by individual finds: African red slip ware and 6th-7th century amphoras, and 9th century heavy glaze ware, as well as a marble architrave decorated with motifs also dating to the 9th century.