The ancient settlement of Muro Tenente can be found in the Apulian plain of Brindisi, between Latiano and Mesagne (see fig.2). The outline of the outer defensive wall is still clearly visible in the landscape, forming a larger circular shape covering about 52 ha (see fig.2). Parts of the old defensive wall that gave the site its name can still be seen with the naked eye, but most of it is buried under vegetation or earth. The settlement has known a long history of habitation, with origins going back into the 8th century BCE continuing well into Roman times. However its heydays seem to have been in the 4th and 3rd centuries BCE. In modern times the area was mainly used as farmland. Unfortunately this has had a major effect on the archaeological record. Deep ploughing since the 1960s has done a lot of damage, and a large part of the material record was completely destroyed when an olive grove was built in the eastern half of the site. Local tombaroli have also done a lot of damage, illegally searching for and digging tombs. All in all it is clear that Muro Tenente is not a pristine archaeological site. That being said, recent excavations have made it clear that in spite of this there is still plenty of material evidence left, and we can still learn a lot about the settlement and its inhabitants.
Based on the material evidence it is held that habitation in the Iron Age was limited to five or six hut nuclei around a larger one in the centre of the fortified area (see fig. 1). The earliest material was found in the central nucleus, dating to the first half of the 8th century BCE. Material from the second half of the 8th century was found in all concentrations. Together they cover an area of about 15 ha, but when reconstructing the site one has to take into account that for most of the material it is difficult to create an absolute chronology. Therefore it is quite possible that not all of the sites were occupied simultaneously, but that instead habitation shifted over time. If this is the case the total extent of the settlement at one time was most likely slightly smaller. The habitation in the centre of the site that started in the Iron Age appears to continue without interruption during the course of the following centuries. However, the number and location of huts in the area vary greatly. For the Archaic and Classical periods seven to eight concentrations have been located, mostly in different locations than the ones located for the Iron Age. In this period the total range of the site seems to have expanded to 20-25 ha. Again however we have to take into account that likely not all of the smaller sites were occupied simultaneously.
In the Hellenistic period the material evidence suggests that the site changed significantly during this period. Based on the amount of Hellenistic artefacts that have been found, it can be concluded that the site was at its largest during this time. Overview maps show that the central concentration that was started in the Iron Age grew significantly, so much that it joined another large concentration of almost the same size to the south. This other concentration was not new, but its sudden growth seemingly only started in the early Hellenistic period. To the east and north-west of the central site more evidence of habitation has been found. Although the north-western concentration is now separated from the central site by a colluvium, it is quite possible that the two were actually connected, creating quite a large built-up area. From the same period evidence of other smaller concentrations have been found all over the site, one in the south-east corner even extending outside of the fortifications. Thus the total area of occupation seems to have been quite large during this period.
After the dramatic changes in the early Hellenistic period the site didn’t change much for the next couple of centuries, except the 2nd century BCE when it shrunk significantly. The clear presence of late Republican artefacts indicates that the site was continuously occupied and fairly stable until the 1st century CE. However in this period a very different distribution pattern appears. Through the material evidence three concentrations of about 0,5 ha can be identified, all seemingly fairly similar to one another. One of the concentrations is in the centre of the fortified area that seems to have been the central point of the settlement since the Iron Age. However during this time the occupation in this area started to shrink significantly, and along with it its importance. The two other concentrations lie at quite a distance from the centre. One lies almost a kilometre to the south-west, while the other lies in the south-east at approximately the same distance (see fig. 3). While the central site shrunk significantly, it seems that these two sites actually increased in size during this period. Then, in the late Roman period, evidence of occupation seems to disappear completely. Material evidence for occupation of the site in post-Roman times is very rare, leaving aside occupation in Modern times. One reasonably large concentration was found dating to the late 12th to early 14th centuries. However, since the material is mixed with a large amount of more recent wares it is hard to determine the true extent of occupation during this time. In modern times the site was mainly used for agriculture, which as mentioned sadly lead to the partial destruction and disruption of the earlier layers.
Figure 3: map of MT with the nuclei
2.2 Research
The Free University has been surveying and excavating at Muro Tenente since 1992, but the site has been subject of interest for various groups of people for a lot longer. As mentioned before, looting has been prevalent at the site, both in ancient and modern times. When excavating it is quite common to find evidence of disturbances to the material caused by looting, from little pits in the stones where the tombaroli did ‘tests’ to determine if there was a grave underneath the surface, to man-sized refilled holes. There are also indications that some of the graves were already looted in ancient times.
The first archaeological excavations at the site were done in the 1960s and ‘70s by the Italian archaeological service. They uncovered a large number of tombs, as well as an area of domestic buildings dating to the 4th century BCE. In 1992 the VU got involved with the site, initially mainly by doing surveys. In 1995 they excavated several test-trenches, using data collected in the surveys to decide on their locations. Material from the early Hellenistic domestic quarters was found, as had been predicted by the survey data. After this it was decided to do two open area excavations, at the central and northern edge of the settlement, to investigate similarities and differences between the two areas of the site. In the years that followed several more excavations were done, both by the VU and Italian archaeologists. In 2016 the VU excavated near the centre of the site again, at the location of the central fortification wall. During this campaign they found amongst other things a sanctuary from the Hellenistic period, with two cremation graves next to it that were added at a later date, when the sanctuary was already destroyed. As I am writing this the VU is doing another excavation in the same location as in 2016, with the purpose of excavating the sanctuary and the nearby street, in preparation for a publication next year. Hopefully this campaign, and others that will undoubtedly follow, will help us to understand more about this settlement.