Evidence for Siena's Roman foundation

Archaeologists at Siena cathedral have uncovered evidence to support the legend that the Tuscan city was founded by the Romans. . .

Archaeologists said yesterday that they had evidence of a ritual sacrifice, dating to early Roman times, in a well beneath the transept of the Duomo, near the Campo, the piazza where the Palio is run every summer.

Riccardo Francovich, professor of archaeology at Siena University, said his team had found the bones of three slaughtered dogs and a horse, with each animal cut up into three pieces. Professor Francovich said the slaughter of animals was a “votive ritual” used by the Romans to bring good fortune when founding a new city. . .

Marie Ange Causarano, one of the archaeologists involved in the dig at the Duomo, said that the Roman well in which the ritual bones had come to light had been dug deep into the tufa, or rock, and was square in shape rather than round. It still bore the holes for corner poles to support a wooden lid, and had probably been lined with wooden planks at first. It had been filled in and lain undiscovered for centuries.

Posted by David on April 10, 2003 10:33 PM