Il pozzo di San Lazzaro di Savena (Bologna): contributo alla conoscenza della cultura materiale e del popolamento nel territorio di Bononia tra II e III secolo d.C.

An excavation conducted by the Archaeological Superintendence of Emilia-Romagna on a construction site in San Lazzaro di Savena (Bologna), has revealed a well near the ancient Via Aemilia. This provides further evidence of the Roman presence in the ager bononiensis. The well, in addition to receiving water from the aquifer, was catching water from the surface due to its particular coating: bricks set in arched fashion in the lower part, cobblestones and reused tiles in the upper one. The fills belonging to the last phases of use of the well mainly yielded common wares in a very good state of preservation, probably of local production, as suggested by the comparanda. Artefacts of bronze, iron, lead, wood and Pietra d’Aurisina (a kind of stone), have also been retrieved in these deposits. The study of these materials, combined with the presence of a “tosata” coin of Marco Aurelio, allows us to suggest a date towards the late 2nd century AD for the progressive abandonment of the well, a time when the ager bononiens was already hit by an economic crisis.