A small sword or more precisely, a dagger called a ‘baselard’ is one of the most important finds uncovered during the excavations in Badia Pozzeveri, Altopascio, in the province of Lucca, where since 2011 Italian and American archaeologists have been bringing to light artifacts that reveal important information about the history of the medieval population of Tuscany. The 2019 summer campaign, directed by Antonio Fornaciari of the University of Pisa’s Division of Paleopathology, has thus provided concrete evidence of the battle of Altopascio in 1325, when Castruccio Castracani, leader of the Lucchesi, beat the Guelfs who had set up camp in the area. The excavations were carried out under ministerial concession from the Altopascio Council and the University of Pisa’s Division of Paleopathology directed by associate professor Valentina Giuffra.
Antonio Fornaciari (on the right) at the excavations.
The archaeological area is the site of two highly prestigious educational initiatives: a postgraduate programme in skeletal and forensic Anthropology and Paleopathology, offered by the Universities of Bologna, Milan and Pisa, during which fifteen Italian students are expected to be on site at the excavations for two weeks, and the Fieldschool Pozzeveri in Medieval Archaeology and Bioarchaeology, run by the University of Pisa and the IRLAB, Institute for Research and Learning in Archaeology and Bioarchaeology, Columbus, Ohio, which attracts around forty students from the US, Canada and other European and extra-European countries each year, all interested in learning archaeological excavation techniques and studying ancient human relics.
Finds
What remains of the battle of Altopascio in 1325 comes to us today in the form of a small sword made out of a single block of metal, a sort of dagger called a ‘baselard’, typical of medieval armour in the 14th century. “This object is only one of the latest interesting finds uncovered at the excavation site in Badia Pozzeveri, which nine years after its inauguration, continues to reveal tales and news which help to reconstruct historical events across the centuries and outline the social and cultural identity of the populations that lived in the area,” comments Antonio Fornaciari.
Excavation of a medieval grave.
According to researchers, the baselard found in previous weeks could represent one of the most tangible pieces of evidence of the battle in which the Badia (Abbey) of Pozzeveri, the ancient monastery built around the year 1000 close to the centre of Altopascio and an important leg of the Via Francigena, had a prominent role. The monastery, after a period of great expansion thanks to the monks of Camaldi, was occupied by encampments of the Florentine Guelf army led by Raimondo di Cardona in September 1325: it was here that the military operations of the famous battle of Altopascio, won by the Ghibelline troops from Lucca led by Castruccio Castracani, took place.
But this is not all: a furnace used for casting bells and a small laboratory for metal work was found in the same area as the weapon. Ceramic artifacts imported from North Africa were also unearthed and lay testimony to lively and continued commercial activity in the ancient Abbey that was strategically placed for busy trade along the Via Francigena and near Lago di Bientina, a natural link to the river Arno and therefore Pisa and Florence. This has been further enriched by the latest discoveries of ancient graves that, during the nine years of the excavations, have outlined an important stratification revealing traditions, customs, illnesses and social status from the mid 19th century back to before the year 1000.
The archaeological site
The archaeological site has disclosed a complex account of history over the years: evidence of a village in the High Middle Ages is followed by the remains of an 11th century religious complex, centred around a rectory which was transformed at the beginning of 1100 into a large Camaldolese abbey. The latest two excavation campaigns have focused on the oldest levels of the rectory and abbey and in particular on the graves linked to these two important institutions. Instead, during previous years, important sections of the 11th century church preceding the monastery, the abbey cloister and a large area used as guest quarters, were brought to light. The occupation of the area continued in the modern era when, following the suppression of the abbey, the church was demoted to a simple parish building, which, however, housed notable burial sites until the middle of the 19th century. “Thanks to the continuous use of the area around the church of Saint Peter as a burial site,” explains Antonio Fornaciari, “a notable sample of skeletal relics extending from the 11th to the 19th century has been acquired, a unique event at European level. The human remains found there constitute a real biological archive which can be examined using modern bioarchaeological and biomedical methods.”
A number of researchers from the University of Pisa have been working on the site: Francesco Coschino, head of computerized surveying and documentation, Letizia Cavallini, Alan Farnocchia and Alessandro Cariboni, area supervisors, Alessio Amaro, head of the osteology laboratory and Maurizio Sparavelli, restoration technician; Researchers from European and extra-European institutions have also participated: Taylor Zanery (University of Amsterdam) and Hanna Tramblay (Penn state University), research assistant for the excavation documentation and logistics.
A number of researchers from the University of Pisa have been working on the site: Francesco Coschino, head of computerized surveying and documentation, Letizia Cavallini, Alan Farnocchia and Alessandro Cariboni, area supervisors, Alessio Amaro, head of the osteology laboratory and Maurizio Sparavelli, restoration technician; Researchers from European and extra-European institutions have also participated: Taylor Zanery (University of Amsterdam) and Hanna Tramblay (Penn state University), research assistant for the excavation documentation and logistics.
The future of the archaeological area
The mayor and local authorities of Altopascio wish to promote this archaeological area in a permanent manner: on the 7th September new guest accommodation will be inaugurated near the excavation site on the Via Francigena at Badia Pozzeveri, and this will become, to all effects, a gathering place, a rest area and an information point for tourism, history and culture. But this is only the start: the authorities in Altopascio intend to create a museum to house the relics found in these nine years of excavations, promulgate the importance of the site and then succeed in acquiring the funds necessary to restore and open the ancient Abbey once again.