LA PIANA

   A fourth-century to third-century BC settlement on a promontory over the Merse River near Siena in the territory of Volterra with evidence of formal layout. The destruction of the site is believed by the excavators to be a consequence of attack by the Celts, anecdotally supported by the discovery of lead sling stones. Evidence has been found in the destruction levels for “proto bricks,” architectural nails, spindle whorls, storage vessels, and their presumed contents of grapes, millet, and barley. One coarse vessel bears an inscription, mi alval.