Unearthing Falerii Novi: Insights from the 2024 Excavation
Medi Jones-Williams, PhD researcher, Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Bristol writes about the recent excavation project at Falerii Novi
The third annual excavation of Falerii Novi Project (FNP) took place from May 27 to June 21 2024. I had the opportunity to join a diverse team of archaeologists led by experts from the British School at Rome (BSR) and the Institute of Classical Studies (School of Advanced Study, University of London), Harvard University, and the University of Toronto. The FNP offers a unique window into the dynamic relationship between a fully mapped Roman city, its population, and environs. The site's abandonment history has preserved stratigraphic contexts that chart urban evolution chronologically from the Roman Republic through to the medieval era.
I was attracted to the project because it is focused on everyday lifeways within the context of a monumental city's transformation over centuries of reuse and adaptation. According to historical sources (see Andrews et al. 2023), the city’s earliest inhabitants had been resettled there by the Romans. I was intrigued to see if there were any parallels in the material culture from a city close to the centre of empire, compared with those in the province of Roman Britain, the geographic focus of my PhD project. In addition, the 2024 season focused on three areas that holistically reflected Roman urban life: the Macellum (meat market), Forum Tabernae (area of shops/bars), and a Domus (elite house), providing a fascinating variety of finds and contextual information.
Multidisciplinary and Multi-institutional Collaboration
The FNP is notable for its multidisciplinary approach, involving various specialisms that were documented and regularly communicated to the public through social media and traditional press. As part of this, I wrote and published updates on the FNP Twitter/X showcasing the integrated work of surveyors, pottery specialists, and experts in archaeobotany and zooarchaeology. Spending time with ceramics from each area provided me with transferable knowledge for comparative analyses in my own research. This year, the project also launched an environmental archaeology field school. Their contribution facilitated the efficient processing of soil samples systematically collected from each excavation area throughout the season.
Tavernae 4 and 5
As we excavated Area 5, we discovered a wealth of artifacts that will help develop the chronology of the Forum Tabernae. Coins provide approximate dates of specific contexts, aiding in understanding how zones were reused in later periods. Bulk finds included pottery in various forms recovered from primary and residual deposits. The upper stratigraphic layers of Tabernae 4 and 5 revealed the reuse of the space, including evidence for metalworking. Cleaning the East-West road revealed deep ruts from centuries of use, poorly patched areas with smaller stones juxtaposed against large, original basalt slabs, illustrating the evolving nature of the site. Agricultural activity, such as a deep plough mark running across the top course of the East-West running tufa wall of the tabernae block, illustrates changing priorities of people working in the zone that once contained bars and shops.
City and Countryside: A Symbiotic Relationship
One of the primary aims of the excavation was to understand the evolving relationship between Falerii Novi and its surrounding countryside, examining subaltern lifeways on a holistic scale. Systematic environmental sampling using flotation and heavy residue analysis revealed plant and animal macro-remains and carbon. Charred organic remains highlighted the diversity in diets and subsistence practices, providing insights into the landscape and climate surrounding the ancient city. Zooarchaeological remains underscored the interconnectedness between humans and non-human inhabitants of Falerii Novi, with animal remains particularly abundant in medieval contexts of the Macellum.
Looking forwards
Future work for the 2024 season involves extensive material culture analysis, including on a plethora of pottery types. Material evidence of craft production and personal worship offers tangible connections to everyday life in Falerii Novi. Interdisciplinary efforts with archaeobotanical remains aim to extrapolate how the land was used and interacted with, while zooarchaeological analysis will help understand the dynamic relationship between humans and non-humans over time.
Falerii Novi reminds us of many communities’ continuous adaptation and resilience under the Romans. From Republican origins to medieval transformations, Falerii Novi and its environs have been in constant dialogue, shaping and reshaping each other over time. The city of Falerii Novi and its surroundings offer invaluable insights into displacement, resilience, adaptation, and the enduring bond between urban and rural life. These lessons are as relevant today as they were centuries ago, reminding us of the intricate tapestry of human civilization in the face of changing climate, shifts in city use post-COVID, and political dynamics.
For more information about Falerii Novi and ongoing research, visit the Falerii Novi Project website and follow the project on Twitter/X
Bibliography
Andrews, M., S. Bernard, E. Dodd, B. Fochetti, S. Kay, P. Liverani, M. Millett and F. Vermeulen (2023) ‘The Falerii Novi Project’, Papers of the British School at Rome 91, pp. 9–34. doi:10.1017/S0068246223000053.