User:TheKarateKid01/sandbox

Early Phase Orientalizing Complex 4
EPOC4 was a large, rectangular structure built sometime between the end of the 8th century and the beginning of the 7th century BCE at Poggio Civitate. The building, which featured a stone foundation, large porch, and back room, was remarkably similar to structures from the Etruscan settlements of San Giovenale and Rusellae. The foundation was 20.5m long and 7.6m wide, the porch extended 12.8m by 5.7m, and the back room measured 5.35m by 5.1m. The foundation walls were very sturdy, employing an average thickness of 1.1m. While the northern wall was damaged from early excavation practices, the southern wall was completely preserved.

The roof of EPOC4 was constructed with terracotta roofing tiles. Through the investigation of later structures from the site of Poggio Civitate, it was determined that terracotta roofing tiles varied in length but consistently measured 0.54m in width. Furthermore, the foundation walls from EPOC4 were devised to be divisible by this width. Considering buildings from later phases of the site’s development employed this same design and featured terracotta roofing tiles, it is plausible to conclude that EPOC4 possessed these tiles.

Through excavation, a variety of materials and items that were found shed light on the uses of EPOC4. Decorative plaques and a horn acroterion suggest that EPOC4 was a domestic space for an aristocratic family. The discovery of grains, seeds, and ceramics from the floor of the porch area indicate that food preparation took place here; spindle whorls and rocchetti were also found, which implies that textile production occurred.

EPOC4 was nearly ten times the size of surrounding domestic spaces. In addition, these smaller domiciles lacked strong foundations, so they were not constructed with terracotta roofing tiles. This suggests that EPOC4 could have been the domestic space for the leading family in the community. However, its close proximity to these domiciles might be the reason for its eventual abandonment in the second quarter of the 7th century BCE. The large porch of EPOC4 was possibly a public space used for gatherings and meals. Eventually, as the elite, aristocratic classes grew amid a developing system of political/social order, it seems their desire for privacy also grew. Perhaps for this reason, EPOC4 was abandoned in the second quarter of the 7th century BCE. After its abandonment, building materials, such as the terracotta roofing tiles and wooden timbers, were likely taken and reused in other spaces, possibly for buildings of the site’s Intermediate Phase.