Donkeys transformed human history as essential beasts of burden for long-distance movement, especially across semi-arid and upland environments. They remain insufficiently studied despite globally expanding and providing key support to low- to middle-income communities. To elucidate their domestication history, we constructed a comprehensive genome panel of 207 modern and 31 ancient donkeys, as well as 15 wild equids. We found a strong phylogeographic structure in modern donkeys that supports a single domestication in Africa ~5000 BCE, followed by further expansions in this continent and Eurasia and ultimately returning to Africa. We uncover a previously unknown genetic lineage in the Levant ~200 BCE, which contributed increasing ancestry toward Asia. Donkey management involved inbreeding and the production of giant bloodlines at a time when mules were essential to the Roman economy and military.

Bucchero is a well-known class of Etruscan ceramics, characterized by being entirely black both on the surface and in the body. In the present investigation, a representative set of bucchero sherds from the excavations of the Etruscan town of Tarquinia (Viterbo, Italy) was analyzed through flame atomic absorption spectroscopy (FAAS), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and near-infrared (NIR) reflection spectroscopy. Both elemental and mineralogical composition data were treated with methods of multivariate analysis. It was thus possible to discriminate between local and imported production, to estimate the firing temperature and to verify the origin of the grey-black color in this peculiar ceramic class. Furthermore, a virtual reconstruction of a bucchero vase starting from fragments was also attempted on the basis of chemical analysis data.

This paper discusses two kinds of research implemented to federate different disciplines and knowledge in support of archaeological research and the protection of the tangible and intangible heritage of ancient Tarquinia. The first part of the work examines the results obtained from the archaeological analysis, the concrete implications on the sustainability of ancient cultural landscapes and their possible transmission over time as an expression of the culture of a community. The second part of the work presents the reading and analysis of the ancient landscape and sites through chrono-stratigraphy, especially regarding two case studies in Tarquinia: the ‘monumental complex’ and the Ara della Regina sanctuary. The work focuses on the intangible aspects of the landscape as a result of archaeological research in the archaeoastronomical field. The orientation of the sacred structures and landscapes is presented herein regarding Etruria and the two case studies. The results shed light on the city’s perception by the population, identifying it as an entity that held and sheltered every aspect of the community’s life. The preliminary results of this study have made it possible to recognise aspects of significant historical and cultural value, which are the heterogeneous expression of a solid identity to be safeguarded and developed in a sustainable way.

Only seven years after the publication of the excavations by P. Romanelli, which definitively confirmed the location of the ancient Etruscan city, in 1955, the operations of the technicians and engineers of the Ing. C.M. Lerici Foundation began at Tarquinia. They focused primarily on the tombs, but soon they also switched to the ancient town. The geophysical investigations at Civita started in 1964. Since then, works were carried out to systematically examine the entire plateau surface: the program was not always respected and suffered considerable obstacles, but, despite this, it continued until 1981. An incredible amount of data was collected through magnetometry, electrical measurements, core samples and surveys. Over time, additional georadar (ITABC - CNR) and gradiometry surveys (British School at Rome) were also performed as part of the CRC 'Tarquinia Project' directed by the University of Milan. Today the project is dealing with processing this huge amount of data for the publication of the Archaeological Map of the Civita di Tarquinia. In light of the recent collaboration with the University of Verona, this work will use the area South-East of the Ara della Regina sanctuary as a pilot project. The volume will show that only with the comparative study of the results of different disciplines (from literary sources to archive research, from the excavation to the study of cartographic sources) through the optics of archaeology, topography, speleology, architecture, paleoanthropology, paleobotany, chemical-physics, assisted by information technology and ICT data management, it is possible to shed light below the ground and to lay the foundations for the overall study of the city and its development.

This research investigates sex roles and labor in ancient Etruscan society, comparing and contrasting the bioarchaeological profile of human remains of five females and two males from the sacred area of the ‘monumental complex’ (Civita, Tarquinia). Despite the small sample size, analyses of entheseal changes, spinal and appendicular osteoarthrosis, Schmorl’s nodes, and dental wear reveal much higher frequencies of biomechanical stress markers compared to other coeval Etruscan sites as well as pre-Roman and Roman data. Both males and females exhibited evidence of repeated strenuous physical activity, but the degree of biomechanical stress in females was particularly striking, suggesting involvement in physically intensive tasks. The study also draws comparisons with Roman populations, highlighting the higher biomechanical stress among women living in the Etruscan society compared to Roman females. These findings challenge the assumption of strict sex divisions of labor in ancient societies, indicating that Etruscan women at Civita may have shared in physically demanding activities typically associated with men, such as agricultural labor, sports, or domestic production. While the sample is limited and precludes definitive conclusions, this study represents a rare bioarchaeological contribution to the study of Etruscan society, offering insight into their lived experiences. Moreover, it underscores the importance of valorizing this skeletal material to enrich our understanding of sex roles and labor in one of antiquity’s most enigmatic civilizations.