La gestione delle acque in Etruria padana, con particolare riguardo al caso di Spina

The Etruscans adeptly managed water in the Po Valley, earning the contemporary epithet ‘masters of hydraulics’. One of the most formidable challenges in this diverse region was regulating water in the Po Delta, a highly complex and dynamic environment. This paper will focus on this aspect by examining the case of Spina. This contribution critically examines the primary archaeological evidence from the Po Valley, organizing it into four central themes: diverted, channeled, captured, and sacralized waters. These themes are introduced through significant case studies, primarily from the early Iron Age to the 5th century BCE, to establish a theoretical and methodological framework. The second part of this paper delves deeply into the case of Spina, exploring the current cognitive limitations and new research perspectives, including ongoing studies at the University of Bologna.