Settlement and Culture in the Inner Apennines: a diachronic topographic analysis of Casentino and Valtiberina (7th‑5th centuries BCE)

Abstract

This work presents a temporary settlement analysis of Casentino and Valtiberina, from the 7th to the 5th century BCE. During this period, these regions may have constituted an area of Apennine interconnectivity. Over time, they became the hinterland to one or more local political entities. To demonstrate these points, I begin by creating a theoretical model of the relationship between aristocratic and civic networks and the movement of professional artisans in the hinterland. The activity of these professionals in Casentino and Valtiberina becomes clear through singling out relevant patterns in material culture and building techniques. The final diachronic analysis of these patterns shows a drastic change in local settlement strategies in the middle of the 6th century BCE. This change can be related to simultaneous processes recorded along the rest of the Tiber Valley, perhaps resulting from the political influence of Clusium and its allies. To conclude, two different areas of settlement are interpreted as two hinterlands belonging to different cities, namely Arretium and Faesulae.