The Hidden City Reconstructing the Urban Structure of the Etruscan Harbour of Forcello di Bagnolo San Vito through Excavations and Non-invasive Methods

This paper deals with the urban character of the Etruscan site discovered at Forcello (Bagnolo S. Vito, Mantua). It was the main Etruscan settlement north of the Po during the 6th and 5th centuries BC, when it flourished as a port of trade facing a lake, now drained. This paper discusses different factors relevant for identifying an urban pattern. In terms of settlement structures, we present a synthesis of the data achieved about the orthogonal planning, the defence structures, the dwelling density and the facilities. Indirect indicators helpful for recognising the essence of the city from an economic perspective are discussed on the productive economy of the site. A well-developed husbandry system based on intensive pig breeding shows that the productive economy extended beyond the simple settlement’s livelihood to a wider scale. The imports and luxury goods, as well as practice of writing, are also treated as indicators of a stratified society that correlates with an urban way of life. The site is approximately 12 ha, but excavation data covers only certain sectors. To acquire additional data about the pattern organisation of both the settlement and the outer space, new research was launched with the preliminary results being presented in this paper. The German Archaeological Institute performed a geomagnetic survey on a field adjacent to the Archaeological Park of Forcello. The survey resulted in exciting evidence, including traces of the embankments, a passageway, and building structures. The results not only confirm, but also enhance the discoveries made by surveys and excavations in the 1980s and show very distinctive features.