Il Tevere come frontiera tra Umbria ed Etruria

Abstract

The Tiber river as a frontier between Umbria and Etruria: some reflections on the case study. This paper analyses the importance of the Tiber River as a frontier between Southern Umbria and the Etruscan territory, paying particular attention to the importance for the Tiber as a commercial route between two cultures along an area included between the ancient territories of Volsinii and Todi, corresponding today to the municipal territories of Baschi and Montecchio in the province of Terni. The research area corresponds to a sector of the Middle Tiber Valley between the Umbrian settlements of Todi and Amelia, where the infiltration of the Etruscan culture originated one of the most important archaeological evidence of it, such as the necropolis of Vallone San Lorenzo. In this context the site of Copio represents the main settlement related to the necropolis. Here the last field-walking survey demonstrated a longue duree of this settlement and his importance as a possible commercial intermediary between the two banks of the river.