The Iron Age Population – Men and Rites
1.
At Pedrignano, in addition to settlement remains, canals, and burials, an elongated pit was identified containing numerous large fragments of bucchero—the characteristic dark grey, glossy Etruscan pottery.
These vessels, likely used in ceremonies or rituals connected to the cult of the dead, had been deliberately broken before being buried. Among the finds, the tall cylindrical and truncated-conical stands are particularly notable; these probably served as supports for large vessels.
Smaller containers such as bowls and cups were also present, while the molded bases are believed to be the lower parts of thymiateria—incense burners used for aromatic substances.
A particularly rare find is the pilgrim’s flask, a bucchero reproduction of more valuable metal flasks, themselves inspired by perishable containers.
Alongside the many pottery fragments, a small and fragmentary female figurine, also made of bucchero, was found.
The context at Pedrignano dates to the late 7th and early 6th centuries BCE.
2.
The Quingento hoard from San Prospero consists of eight ingots of ferrous copper, some of which bear a raised symbol known as the “dry branch.”
Varying in size, the total weight of the ingots is approximately 14.5 kg.
Beginning in the 6th century BCE, the Etruscans used rectangular bars of copper or bronze—often cut into smaller pieces as needed—as both a medium of exchange and a store of value. These pieces frequently bore a raised mark, a kind of official stamp, from which the term aes signatum derives.
The Quingento hoard was discovered in 1870, not far from a settlement occupied between the 6th and 5th centuries BCE. It may have been a small treasure concealed by a merchant or metalworker, or, as some scholars suggest, a votive deposit somehow connected to the natural springs and abundant water that characterize the area where it was placed.
3.
Although limited in number, the Etruscan inscriptions found in the region show that, by the 6th–5th centuries BCE, writing had become part of the daily life of local communities.
The highest concentration of inscribed artifacts comes from the area of S. Maria del Piano – Lesignano Bagni, located between the upper plains and the first hills.
One fragment of an Etrusco-Padanian ceramic bowl—a typical production of the first half of the 5th century BCE—bears the inscription mi Θanuś. This is a first-person inscription: the bowl itself “speaks,” declaring that it belongs to Thanu.
The name, widespread across Etruscan-inhabited regions, confirms the Etruscan origin of the owner.
Other finds from this area—or elsewhere—show simple drawings, such as a five-pointed star, or individual marks, including one shaped like an “M,” likely to be interpreted as the letter tsade from the Etruscan alphabet, equivalent to our “ś.”