Analisi di una tecnica edilizia in terra cruda nell'insediamento etrusco padano del Forcello di Bagnolo San Vito (MN)

Analysis of a wattle and daub building technique in the Etruscan settlement of Forcello-Bagnolo San Vito (Mantua) in the Po valley. The aim of this study is the reconstruction of an ancient wattle & daub structure, from the Etruscan site of Forcello di Bagnolo San Vito (MN), situated in the lower Mincio Valley, Northern Italy. Starting from the quantitative analysis of the sintered daub and its typology, we integrate the study with data from petrography and anthracology. The thin section analysis of daub fragments endorses the proposed typology and shows the differences in the process of construction. The wattle structure, destroyed by fire, can be perceived by the analysis of anthracological remains, with the definition of the vegetal essences that were used. The scientific approach reveals the geographical provenance of the material employed for both wattle and daub. The geological components are common in the local Mincio Valley. The vegetal remains are in accordance with the palaeopalinological spectrum of the site area. So we can assert that the Etruscan dwellers employed local raw materials for their building needs. Finally, we are now able to distinguish among the general volume of previously defined building material several pieces that can be interpreted as a part of an oven; moreover, from the calculated firing temperature and the burning process of the daub, also a wood storing strategy can be inferred. In conclusion, we can assert that the multi-disciplinary approach used for this study offers many more data than a simple, classical, archaeological one, and helps us to better understand a class of findings for long time neglected by the archaeological studies.