New excavations in the Apennine passes have yielded evidence of a 6th–7th century system of defence of the Byzantine territory of Ravenna. The main castle to be excavated was set at the top of the hill of Rontana, situated near Brisighella (Ravenna, Italy), dominating the Lamone Valley and routes across Tuscany and Romagna. It was a fortified settlement, first mentioned in AD 960, together with the parish church of Santa Maria which stands within it, testified by a late Carolingian charter of the Archiepiscopal Archive of Ravenna as the property of the monastery of S. Maria del Sacro Palazzo at Ravenna. New archaeological excavations have discovered 7th-century fortifications, possibly associated with an attempt at limes defence organized by the Exarches against the Lombard Kingdom. In the following centuries, the fortified site was the object of many disputes and was listed amongst the properties of the church of Ravenna, the municipality of Faenza, the Manfredi family, and the Venetian Republic. It was destroyed at the end of the 16th century by the Papal army. Excavation work inside the castle was undertaken in order to study the birth of the phenomenon of ‘incastellamento’ in Romagna through the examination of archaeological remains. In order to achieve these aims, several excavation areas were opened all around the centre of the hilltop, corresponding to the courtyard of the medieval castle. Thanks to the extraordinarily well preserved deposit, the site provided useful data regarding the archaeological stratification of the first fortification phases as well as information regarding houses, workshops and other activities linked to castle life. During the course of the excavations, a topographical survey of the entire area occupied by the castle and surrounding settlement was also undertaken, in order to gain a detailed understanding of its plan and the various changes in fortification techniques. Other excavations in the area surrounding Brisighella were carried out at Ceparano Castle, a 10th century complex on the first Subapennine hills near Faenza. The site may also belong to a series of 7th century Byzantine strongholds in the area.The excavations were also accompanied by studies and analyses of the architectural archaeology of the many standing walls preserved inside the fortified settlement, in particular the facings of two ruined ogival towers situated at the corner of the Rocca and most of the Medieval defences of the castle
Nuove ricerche archeologiche, condotte nei passi appenninici, hanno fornito evidenze di un sistema di difesa del VI-VII secolo del territorio di Ravenna. Il sito più conosciuto, al momento, si trova in cima alla collina di Rontana, vicino a Brisighella (Ravenna, Italia). L’insediamento domina la valle del Lamone e le rotte che collegano la Toscana e la Romagna. Si tratta di un insediamento fortificato, menzionato per la prima volta nel 960 d.C., insieme alla pieve di Santa Maria che si trova al suo interno, testimoniato da un documento tardo-carolingio dell‘Archivio Arcivescovile di Ravenna come proprietà del monastero di S. Maria del Sacro Palazzo a Ravenna. Nuovi scavi archeologici hanno scoperto tracce di una fortificazione databile al VII secolo, probabilmente associata a un tentativo di controllo e difesa del limes organizzato dagli Esarchi contro il Regno lombardo. Nei secoli successivi il sito fortificato è oggetto di numerose controversie e viene elencato tra le proprietà della chiesa di Ravenna, del comune di Faenza, della famiglia Manfredi e della Repubblica di Venezia. Fu distrutto alla fine del XVI secolo dall‘esercito papale. Sono stati intrapresi lavori di scavo all‘interno del castello per studiare la nascita del fenomeno dell’incastellamento in Romagna attraverso l‘esame dei resti archeologici. Per raggiungere questi obiettivi, sono state aperte diverse aree di scavo nell’area sommitale, corrispondente al cortile del castello medievale. Grazie al deposito straordinariamente ben conservato, il sito ha fornito dati utili sulla stratificazione archeologica delle prime fasi di fortificazione, nonché informazioni su case, officine e altre attività legate alla vita del castello. Nel corso degli scavi è stata inoltre effettuata un‘indagine topografica dell‘intera area occupata dal castello e dall‘insediamento circostante, al fine di ottenere una comprensione dettagliata del suo sviluppo planimetrico e dei vari cambiamenti nelle tecniche di fortificazione. Sempre nei pressi di Brisighella, delle indagini sono stata avviate anche nel castello di Ceparano, un insediamento di X secolo sulle prime alture appenniniche nelle vicinanze di Faenza che potrebbe essere stato inserito nel sistema di presidi militari bizantini attuato nel VII secolo. Gli scavi sono stati accompagnati da studi e analisi delle numerose strutture murarie conservate in alzato all‘interno dell‘insediamento fortificato, caratterizzato anche da due torri ogivali in rovina situate all‘angolo della rocca
Enrico Cirelli (2020). EARLY MEDIEVAL FORTIFICATIONS BETWEEN THE EXARCHATE OF RAVENNA AND THE LOMBARD KINGDOM. Monaco : CH Beck.
EARLY MEDIEVAL FORTIFICATIONS BETWEEN THE EXARCHATE OF RAVENNA AND THE LOMBARD KINGDOM
Enrico Cirelli
Primo
2020
Abstract
New excavations in the Apennine passes have yielded evidence of a 6th–7th century system of defence of the Byzantine territory of Ravenna. The main castle to be excavated was set at the top of the hill of Rontana, situated near Brisighella (Ravenna, Italy), dominating the Lamone Valley and routes across Tuscany and Romagna. It was a fortified settlement, first mentioned in AD 960, together with the parish church of Santa Maria which stands within it, testified by a late Carolingian charter of the Archiepiscopal Archive of Ravenna as the property of the monastery of S. Maria del Sacro Palazzo at Ravenna. New archaeological excavations have discovered 7th-century fortifications, possibly associated with an attempt at limes defence organized by the Exarches against the Lombard Kingdom. In the following centuries, the fortified site was the object of many disputes and was listed amongst the properties of the church of Ravenna, the municipality of Faenza, the Manfredi family, and the Venetian Republic. It was destroyed at the end of the 16th century by the Papal army. Excavation work inside the castle was undertaken in order to study the birth of the phenomenon of ‘incastellamento’ in Romagna through the examination of archaeological remains. In order to achieve these aims, several excavation areas were opened all around the centre of the hilltop, corresponding to the courtyard of the medieval castle. Thanks to the extraordinarily well preserved deposit, the site provided useful data regarding the archaeological stratification of the first fortification phases as well as information regarding houses, workshops and other activities linked to castle life. During the course of the excavations, a topographical survey of the entire area occupied by the castle and surrounding settlement was also undertaken, in order to gain a detailed understanding of its plan and the various changes in fortification techniques. Other excavations in the area surrounding Brisighella were carried out at Ceparano Castle, a 10th century complex on the first Subapennine hills near Faenza. The site may also belong to a series of 7th century Byzantine strongholds in the area.The excavations were also accompanied by studies and analyses of the architectural archaeology of the many standing walls preserved inside the fortified settlement, in particular the facings of two ruined ogival towers situated at the corner of the Rocca and most of the Medieval defences of the castleI documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
