San Pietro d'Asso excavation records

Located in Tuscany, Italy, the site of San Pietro d’Asso was discovered on a hill during a survey of the territory of Montalcino. In July 2010, fourteen undergraduates began the six week Penn summer school excavation. The excavation, led by Drs. Robert Hodges, Stefano Campana, and Michelle Hobart and supported by the University of Siena and the Comune of Montalcino, set out to establish what exactly the hilltop site was. Two areas were involved in the excavation, the hilltop and the farmhouse church, located directly below the hilltop. The abandoned 19th century farmhouse had incorporated a Romanesque church that was later used as a stable.

During the season, the main body of the hilltop did not yield anything except on the knoll. The remnants of a tower and an unstratified silver denier were found. The silver denier indicated the date of the construction of the tower, placing it during the early 11th century. In the second area, the abandoned farmhouse church, a small cemetery, which included four graves, was uncovered. There were other small objects discovered that aided in dating the surrounding structures.

The 2010 season concluded that the monastery of San Pietro d’Asso was not located on the hilltop as previously believed.

The textual records consist of .25 linear feet of correspondence, financial records, reflections on the excavation, tourist brochures, drawings and photographs, and various publications. The material has been divided into four series: Administration, Drawings and Photographs, Field Notes, and Reports and Publications.

The administration series consists mainly of emails between Richard Hodges, Michelle Hobart, and John Mitchell. The emails discuss edits of the small finds catalogue as well as the tower phases located at the site. There are also financial records of the trip including a full summary of the expenses. Also included are a rough schedule of the six-week program, the names of students participating, and reflections of the participants. The drawings and photographs series consists of aerial images of the site, a map of the site, and group photographs. The field notes series includes a journal containing notes about the excavation as well as records of expenses. The series also includes images and a short report on the landscape archaeology and remote sensing of site. The reports and publications series contains mainly reports on the results of the excavation. Included are a small finds catalogue and excavation report. Also included are tourist brochures and various reports that pertain to the history or landscape of the excavation site. There are also many digital photographs and maps (made with various vector programs that need to be identified) in the collection.

Publication Information: University of Pennsylvania: Penn Museum Archives, 5/15/13

Finding Aid Author:

Use Restrictions:

Form(s)/Genre(s)

• Drawings (visual works)
• Photographs

Geographic Name(s)

• Italy

Personal Name(s)

• Campana, Stefano
• Hobart, Michelle
• Hodges, Robert

Subject(s)

• Archaeology--Architecture, ancient--Pyramids