Murgie: the fortified Bruttian site (Crotone, Calabria)

Abstract

We have begun this work in the hopes of studying the specifics of all the previous investigations of archaeological excavations and historical cartography sites, according to the information provided by the common technical offices of Strongoli and tools used in the province of Crotone, such as aerial photography, blueprints and all of the cartography related to the plateau of Murgie and all areas within its limits. The area of Murgie was first identified by Juliette De La Genière in 1971 and later some recoveries were made by the superintendent for archaeological heritage in 1976 and by regular excavations in 1983, 1988 and 1990.The oldest recovered items in the plateau probably date back to the end of the Paleolithic era, in addition to some fragments of the flint industry. As far as the 4th – 3rd centuries B.C. are concerned, they are the most prolific in producing artifacts and in terms of demographical growth of the area. The most recent evidence is a whole brick found during a survey and it can be compared to other examples which come from Crotone’s higher topographical areas dating back to the 2nd century B.C.. To carry out this analysis we used sophisticated tools such as centimetric GPS and total stations. Through this work, we have investigated and identified all the Bruttian era’s defense systems, and moreover we have investigated how it relates to the plateau and its building methods.
 During the survey in the field, many obstacles turned up because of the thick vegetation and the cultivation in this area, treating of agricultural grounds, and changes in the ground because of the use of mechanical means in the area. This research has given new data and information which has added to the research carried out last century and that should be completed with a real campaign of stratigraphic excavation.