ROSELLE

   A settlement in the Maremma area of North Etruria that came into prominence from the sixth century BC, altering the balance of power for the region. Part of its drystone wall, composed of large blocks, dates from the sixth century BC; this stands above an earlier, unfired brick wall from the seventh century BC in the northern part of the city. The area encompassed by the three-kilometer circuit of walls appears to have been about 41 hectares. Such demonstrations of power may be linked to the close proximity to Vetulonia, whose prosperity tended to be the inverse of its own. The decline of Vetulonia permitted a relative prominence of Roselle. Modern excavations started here at an earlier date than in many other Etruscan cities and revealed possible monumental architecture in unfired brick of the seventh and sixth centuries BC. One of these structures contained a ritual deposit of the sixth century: a hearth with animal bones and a rich associated pottery deposit including bucchero, imported pottery, a dolium fragment with dedicatory inscription, and Etruscan bronzes. Another important discovery is the late sixth-century Casa dell’Impluvium, which has given invaluable information on urban domestic architecture in the form of a courtyard structure. Sacred and industrial quarters have also been discovered. Unusually for an Etruscan city, rather less is known of the cemeteries. The main city was destroyed by the Romans in 294 BC. On high ground to the south is the Moscona fort, which contains eighth-century hut foundations.

   See also DODECAPOLIS; TRADE.