Alle origini di Felsina: l’abitato villanoviano della Fiera

The genesis and development of the Etruscan city of Felsina (Bologna) are research topics of strategic importance and which are currently being debated. In fact, many basic problems must still be solved: firstly, it is necessary to clarify aspects concerning the Final Bronze Age population of the area near Bologna, which could be responsible for the formation of the later proto-urban center during the Iron Age. Secondly, it is essential to verify the relationship between the future Felsina, whose constitutive process started in the 8th century BC, and the several, more ancient villages, placed few kilometers away. It is through the study of some of these settlements, Caserma Battistini, Villa Cassarini and Fiera, that it could be possible to define their contribution to the poleogenetic process. In particular, this paper focuses on the Fiera village (9th-mid 8th century BC), for which we also know a necropolis separated from the village featuring a defensive system, set on palisade, rampart and moat. Although the study is still preliminary, it has allowed to identify the presence of rectangular and elliptical huts, some fenced areas, two wells and a craft area.