I metalli a Pyrgi tra circolazione, tesaurizzazione e offerta

Ancient authors record the extraordinary wealth of Pyrgi’s sanctuary through the account of the looting by Dionysius of Syracuse in 384 BC. The treasure stolen from the sanctuaries of Leucothea and Apollo were claimed to have yeilded 1000 talents (Diod. 15. 14. 3-4) or 500 talents (Polyaen. Stratagem. 5. 2. 21), and special mention is made of the silver trapeza ripped away from the statue of Apollo (Aelian. Var. Hist. 1. 20). The hoard of nine silver Greek coins from the rear of temple A can be considered an indication of the large amount of money that circulated at the site and that was kept in the monumental sanctuary, which functioned as the seat of Caere’s aerarium. On the other hand, the well-known votive deposits from the Southern Sanctuary highlight the hoarding of economic resources closely connected with ctonic/ demetriac cults. This paper provides an overview and analysis of the extraordinary amount of metal (gold, silver, bronze, iron, lead) finds recovered from both of the Pyrgi sanctuaries, as well as the public ceremonial quarter N of temple A. The treatment takes into consideration all categories of objects discovered (ingots, premonetary bronze, inscribed tablets, jewels, weapons, containers and tools, furniture) as well as evidence for the ritual use of melted metal. This paper provides an overview and quantification of the extraordinary amount of metal (gold, silver, bronze, iron, lead) finds recovered from both Pyrgi’s Sanctuaries and the public ceremonial quarter N of temple A, considering all categories of objects (ingots, premonetary bronze, inscribed tablets, jewels, weapons, containers and tools, furniture) and evidence for the ritual use of melted metal.