SANT’ELPIDIO A MARE, ITALY—La Brújula Verde reports that a landslide in central Italy has exposed a Picene burial estimated to date to the sixth century B.C. Previous genetic studies have shown that the Picenes were related to other pre-Roman Italic groups. The Picenes are known to have lived near the Adriatic Sea and imported pottery, bronzes, and other goods from Greece. Some of the goods that passed through Picene ports were carried on to other areas of Europe. This burial was spotted when heavy rains exposed a ceramic vessel on a hillside. A team of researchers from the Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts, and Landscape for the Provinces of Ascoli Piceno, Fermo, and Macerata inspected the area and recovered several additional vessels. Further investigation of the site may reveal additional burials and possible connections to other Picene sites in the region. To read about excavations of another Picene tomb, go to "Fit for a Prince."
