Roselle, the Etruscan and Roman city

In the area of Roselle have been found ruins that can be dated to the Prehistoric and Protohistory, but we can consider it as a village only from the 7th century B.C. To this age can be ascribed the first terraced walls that enclosed the two hills where, in the middle of the 6th century B.C., the town of Roselle grew, fortified by formidable polygonal city walls. During this period, the two hills appear to be thoroughly urbanized, as shown by the private building built on the northern hill (House of the Impluvium), the workshops and laboratories of artisans located on the southern hill and the most important and prestigious buildings, as well as public structures, usually constructed throughout the centuries, along the central valley. Traces of the Classic Age are visible especially on the southern hill, where residences and workshops were built evenly arranged along the two sides of the road, with an urban organization that later inspired the Hellenistic residential area. In the Hellenistic Age, important works of restoration were carried out on the city walls. During the 3th century B.C., Roselle fought several times to resist the Romans attempts to rule the city, but the consul Postumio Megello conquered it in 294 B.C. In 89 B.C. its inhabitants, who belonged to the Scaptia tribe, became Roman citizens. After demographic and economic crises under Augustus’ empire, Roselle underwent a recovery and its layout changed, thanks to significant construction activities. An example is the erection of the Forum, surrounded by important public buildings and private houses, often enriched by an important series of sculptures. During the Late-Imperial age, Roselle experienced heavy depopulation. Between the end of the 6th century and the first half of the 7th century A.D., Lombards settled between the Decumanus and the Roman workshops. Roselle became almost a ghost town, continuously devastated by marauders and in 1138 A.D. Pope Innocent II issued a Papal Bull in which he ordered the transfer of the diocese from Roselle to Grosseto.Texts by Dott.ssa Gabriella Poggesi (Soprintendenza Archeologia della Toscana)Photos by Paolo Nannini (Soprintendenza Archeologia della Toscana) andArchivio Soprintendenza Archeologia della ToscanaProduction and contents management PRISMA Associazione CulturaleVoice: Erich Nicholson - Studio Pippolaticomusic di Luca Bechelli