Studying the Colline Metallifere mining area in Tuscany: an interdisciplinary approach

The Colline Metallifere district (southern Tuscany, Italy) has been for centuries, at least from the Etruscan period, a major producer of iron, base- and precious metals. In the Middle Ages exploitation was particularly focused on Cu-Pb-Ag(Zn) deposits for coin production. Starting from the IX-X cent. AD a number of castles were built by aristocratic families for a more direct and efficient control of the Colline Metallifere district. Since the early 1980s these castles were the target of a comprehensive archaeological survey leaded by the great medieval archaeologist Riccardo Francovich, untimely passed away in 2007. The excavation of the well-known castle of Rocca San Silvestro (nearby the Campiglia Marittima village) immediately highlighted the deep connections between medieval mining sites, the process of castle formation, and the development of local seigneurships, which, in this geographical context, based much of their economic power on controlling and exploiting metals that could be used for coinage. Accordingly, since the mid-80s, the “Progetto Colline Metallifere” was launched to study relationships between settlement dynamics and the control of metal production in the medieval period. After excavations at the castle of Rocca San Silvestro, the research continued with extensive research of mining activity at many other sites, including Campiglia Marittima, Suvereto, Donoratico, Rocchette Pannocchieschi, Montemassi, Cugnano, and Rocca degli Alberti at Monterotondo Marittimo. Detailed field-surveys aimed at providing more quantitative evaluation of production facilities were conducted in large parts of the municipal territories of Campiglia M.ma, Suvereto, Piombino, Follonica, Scarlino, Massa M.ma, Monterotondo M.mo, Montieri, and Gavorrano. In the article we provide a resume of main results from over thirty years of research in the Colline Metallifere district, with particular focus on more recent excavations at the metal mining sites of Montieri, Cugnano and Rocca degli Alberti, as well as the alum mines site of Monteleo.