Speleo-archaeological excavation and study of a medieval well-cistern at the "Campo della Fiera" (Orvieto, Umbria, Italy)

The Campo della Fiera site, located at the base of the Orvieto cliff, was inhabited for a period of over 20 centuries, from the early 6th century BC to the 17th century. This site has yielded archaeological finds of considerable importance. The extraordinary variety of monuments and the exceptionally high quality of the artefacts found at the site provide convincing evidence that it was the federal sanctuary of the Etruscans, as the Romans called Fanum Voltumnae. The region is documented in medieval sources as ‘campus nundinarum’ and ‘Campo della Fiera’: a place where periodic fairs were held, presumably for the trade of livestock, a practice documented at least until the early 20th century. This study focuses on the excavation and documentation of a medieval well-cistern well. Coordinated by archaeologists from the Department of Humanities at the University of Foggia, the operations were carried out by speleo-archaeological technicians from Archeologia Subacquea Speleologia Organizzazione - ASSO, a non-profit organisation specialising in the exploration, documentation and excavation of underground areas of archaeological and historical interest. From a technical and scientific point of view, various technical and methodological measures were adopted to ensure the safety of the operators and the integrity of the finds, as well as the reliability of the stratigraphic analysis. The operation led to the identification of eight layers of accumulation relating to the prolonged use of the well-cistern from the second half of the 13th century to the 17th century.