BLUE, GREEN and SOOT GRAY Ding out in the Middle of the Sea

elba rietà di merci provenienti da tutto il Mediterraneo concentration of geology. There is much more than (vino dalla Gallia, conserve di pesce dalla Spagna, fi- granite and iron minerals, though, as testified by the chi africani, pani di zolfo) ed una piccola nave mer- Luigi Celleri Mineralogy and Gemology Museum cantile, che trasportava alla fine del ‘700 vasellame in in San Pietro, located in the heart of western Elba, or ceramica, forbici in metallo e pietre focaie. by the new Museum of Natural History in the Uni- versity of Florence. The perception of colors, though F U L I G G I N E - I L M U S E O C I V I C O important anywhere, becomes vital on a Mediterra- ARCHEOLOGICO DEL DISTRETTO MINERARIO DI RIO NELL’ELBA, allestito nell’edificio del Barcocaio, si staglia sul color fuliggi- ne delle miniere di Rio e illustra la storia dello sfrut- tamento dei ricchi giacimenti minerari (soprattutto ferro) della parte orientale dell’isola, dalla Preistoria al Medioevo. Uno degli insediamenti archeologici più affascinanti dell’isola intera è certamente la grot- ta eneolitica di San Giuseppe a Rio nell’Elba, luogo di sepoltura di un villaggio tra la fine del III e gli inizi del II millennio a.C. La popolazione, coinvolta in at- tività di estrazione e commercio del rame, era inseri- ta nelle culture della Toscana meridionale e dell’alto Lazio. Lo studio antropologico dei resti (circa 90 in- dividui) ha analizzato patologie e aspetti nutrizionali di una comunità caratterizzata da un certo benessere. i r

La fiorente attività metallurgica caratterizza anche il a r r e F periodo compreso tra la fine dell’età del Bronzo e gli o i r a

inizi dell’età del Ferro, come dimostrano i ricchi ri- M

Elba orientale - Laghetto costiero di Terra Nera t o trovamenti di San Martino, di Cima del Monte, del Porto Azzurro F Volterraio, di Colle Reciso e di Campo. ? © Nella sezione etrusca sono esposti i reperti dei corre- nean island. Elba is usually associated with green and di tombali tardo-arcaici e proto-classici provenienti blue, which become more intense when the island is da tombe a cassone trovate a Le Trane (Portoferraio) blessed by the sunlight that amplifies the emerald e i materiali relativi al grande opificio siderurgico green of the plants and the cobalt blue of the sea, mo- etrusco di San Bennato (Cavo). Per saperne di più, re so than the tenuous colors such as soot gray. potete consultare il sito web della Provincia di Livor- Ancient Greeks called Elba by the name of Aithale no: http://www.archeologiaprovincialivorno.it (soot gray) because that is how the island appeared to the eyes of sailors from a distance: a dark rock stan- BLUE, GREEN AND SOOT GRAY ding out in the middle of the sea. Sailing closer to the THE COLORS OF ARCHEOLOGY ON coastline, though, they realized that the dark was THE ISLAND OF ELBA really scattered in spots, interrupted by incident colors: the white of the beaches and cliffs, the shimme- eologists say that, from a mineralogical po- ring rocks. These were key reference points for sailors int of view, Elba embodies the geo- who were unequipped with a compass or a sextant, Gdiversity of the entire continent. That is who could only count on the observation of the sun why the Island is the destination for internships for and the stars for navigating. These chromatic ano- so many scholars. Few other places can boast such a malies were useful for pinpointing spots rich in wa- 20 elba ter, food and many other resources, the places inha- transpires anywhere on the island. Arriving from the bited by friendly people or enemies, as well as good sea, from a distance our eyes are struck by unmista- moorings. These patches of color could even serve to kable profiles and colors: the cliff of Enfola and the tell the difference between life and death. Many of silver reflexes of Capo Bianco. Mooring in the bay of these places, such as the “Capo Bianco” (white cliff) Portoferraio, to the left we see the Grottoes and, to in Portoferraio and Porto Azzurro, the “Punta Bian- the right, the Linguella, crowned by a Roman villa. ca” (white tip) in Capoliveri, the beach of Pietre To the edge of the bay is the hill of Lazzaretto, once a Albe (stones of dawn) in Pomonte have been called place of worship (of Heracles?) and, today, the seat of by these names since time immemorial. The ethnic the latest, fascinating monument of industrial arche- origin of the locals is difficult to define with preci- ology. The grand archeological monuments still awa- sion; but that is not surprising. In a sea that was den- it proper enhancement and the opening of trails se with heavy circulation of men, women, objects, amidst the nature, the history and archeology of the technology, and ideas, the community underwent island, amidst the green, the blue and the sooty gray continuous changes. The history and archeology of of the eastern coast. This union between environ- these places teach us that the cultural traits of these ment and culture is a wedding that has yet to take pla- peoples were more meaningful than mere physical ce. Curious visitors may nonetheless find responses traits. Greek culture (and language) was more visible to their many questions by visiting any of the three ar- and winning from several points of view and, often, cheological museums on the Island. even more powerful than great empires that were po- litically and militarily stronger, such as the Persian. Even more winning, though, was the mix between the Greek and local peoples. Analyses conducted on the DNA of skeletons in other areas of ancient Italy show that two distinct groups (colonists and au- tochthones) no longer existed after three or four generations after the arrival of Greek colonists but, rat- her, a unique hybrid community. For instance, the i n i town of Populonia, which witnessed to the conquest t n a i l g by the Corsicans (or was it the Volterran people who a P

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snatched the island from the Corsicans?!), does not a L

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have a well identified origin. Recent research con- o F ducted in the bay of Portoferraio showed that the Dolia con impresso un bollo nell’argilla ancora fresca © Corsicans assiduously landed on the Island of Elba importing their traditions, for example burying the- BLUE - THE ARCHEOLOGICAL MUSEUM ir dead inside small grottoes dug beneath the rocks. OF LINGUELLA IN PORTOFERRAIO, stands The archeology of Elba therefore tells of an island su- out against the blue of the bay and tells many a story. spended between great changes and long-lasting tra- The premises that accommodate the museum date ditions and always exposed to the great winds of hi- back to the early 16th century, originally built for the story: Corsicans, Greek, Punic, Etruscans, Ro- storage of the salt produced in the large salt evapora- mans… The research we are currently carrying out tion ponds along the bay. Later, the building served on Elba shows an incredible richness in archeology as a warehouse for tuna fish and, from the end of the that must be studied within its geographical frame- 16th century up until the early 20th century, was work: a territory with distinct features of its own, a used as a jail. The Tower of the Linguella suffered se- landscape transformed by the labor of several com- rious damage during World War II. Near the tower munities and generations. Archeology emerges and that accommodates the museum, the remains of the 21 elba thermal baths of a luxury Roman villa can still be se- the community. Beginning from the end of 2nd cen- en, famous for its polychrome mosaic floors. This tury BC, several villas were built on the Island as ‘lei- area was fortified upon the wishes of Cosimo de’ Me- sure resorts’ for illustrious Roman senators. The mari- dici in 1548 as a bastion (called the Cosmopolis) to time trade of Italic wine - Elba was truly a wine pro- protect the bay against the attacks of Turkish and bar- ducing land - is witnessed by the amphorae retrieved barian pirates. The Museum is divided into three from wrecks in Sant’Andrea. The Altar of Attiano, halls on two stories. The amphorae on display on the found in the granite quarries of Seccheto in 1899, ground floor testify to the mercantile routes that af- was dedicated to Heracles by P. Acilio Attiano, a pre- fect under Emperor Adriano. Amphorae and other objects retrieved from the wrecks of large ships testify to the importance played by the Island along the mercantile routes during the Imperial period.

GREEN - THE CIVIC ARCHEOLOGICAL MUSEUM OF MARCIANA, renovated and re- opened to the public in 2002, stands out for its impo- sing granite wall covered with green vegetation clim- bing toward the peak of Mount Capanne. The museum tells the story of the western side of the Island. Be- side the remains from the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods, important are the remains from the settle- ments during the Bronze Age (Madonna del Monte and Mount Giove). The suggestive section devoted to the exploitation of granite describes the quarries, the techniques and tools used. Two wrecks were inve- stigated in the bay of Procchio: one Roman ship tran- sporting a great variety of goods from all over the Me- diterranean (like wine from Gallia, preserved fish from Spain, African figs), and one smaller mercantile i b

m ship from the end of the 18th century that transpor- a C

c ted ceramics, metal tools and flint stones. n a r F

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Spiaggia con la sabbia color nero-fumo - Rio Marina o F SOOT GRAY - THE CIVIC ARCHEOLOGICAL © MUSEUM OF THE MINING DISTRICT OF fected the Tuscan Archipelago beginning from the RIO NELL’ELBA, set up inside the building of Bar- 8th century BC. The bronzes come from Colle Reci- cocaio, stands out for its gray colors recalling the so and Santa Lucia; remains from the Iron Age to the quarries of Rio. The objects on display testify to the Etruscan period that witness to the presence of the history of the exploitation of the rich mineral depo- Corsicans on the island, arriving probably from Po- sits (mostly iron) in the eastern side of the Island, pulonia. The Greek-Italic wine amphorae in the from the Prehistoric Age until the Middle Ages. One glass display were retrieved from the ship wrecked on of the most fascinating archeological sites is undoub- the island of Montecristo in the 3rd century BC. The tedly the grotto of San Giuseppe in Rio nell’Elba da- objects from the funerary set in the necropolis of Pro- ting back to the Copper Age. The locals were enga- fico (Capoliveri), dating back to the 3rd century BC ged in copper extraction and trading activities, the prove the existence of a quite rich local class within latter being addressed to southern Tuscany and up- 22 elba per Lazio, as shown by a study on the remains of ap- remains from the late Archaic and Protoclassic pe- proximately 90 individuals. This flourishing mining riods coming from the tombs in Le Trane (Portofer- activity also interested the period between the end of raio) and materials relating to the grand Etruscan fer- the Bronze Age and the beginning of the Iron Age, as rous metallurgy site of San Bennato (Cavo). For fur- testified by the rich retrievals in San Martino, Cima ther information, please consult the website of the del Monte, Volterraio, Colle Reciso and Campo. Province of Livorno: The Etruscan section of the Museum displays burial http://www.archeologiaprovincialivorno.it

Uno scorcio dell’Elba occidentale Natura e archeologia paiono armoniosamente coniugate i n i t n a i l g a P

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Museo Archeologico della Linguella Museo Archeologico del Distretto Minerario Calata Buccari - Portoferraio Terrazza Barcocaio - Rio nell’Elba info + 39 0565 944024?(Cosimo de Medici) info + 39 0565 943428 o 943459 www.comune.portoferraio.li.it www.comune.rionellelba.li.it

Museo Civico Archeologico di Marciana Museo Mineralogico e Gemmologico Via del Pretorio, 66 Marciana Luigi Celleri di San Piero info + 39 0565 937371 San Piero in Campo - Campo nell’Elba info +39 0565 937248 info + 39 0565 979311 www.comune.marciana.li.it www.comune.camponellelba.li.it Parco Archeologico Villa Romana delle Grotte Loc. Le Grotte Portoferraio Facebook parco archeologico villa romana delle grotte info + 39 338 5439270 - [email protected] www.archeocolor.com