Monti Aurunci Project: il sito altomedievale di Sant'Andrea (Campodimele, LT)

The archaeological site on the hilltop of Sant’Andrea, midway between Campodimele and Itri, has been recently located by the mean of the presence of the remaining of a surrounding wall and other structures. It is located very close to the mountain pass of San Nicola, allowing the site to keep a strict control on the main communication routes crossing through the inner region of the Monti Aurunci, especially on those connecting the Liri Valley and the coast of Southern Latium. The excavations started in July 2022 aimed to provide chronological and typological elements to identify the nature of the settlement. A single area (Area 1000) at the south-eastern corner of the surrounding wall has been delimited for the excavation in order to find a reliable stratigraphy – a condition made difficult by the erosive phenomena characterizing the geology of the region. The results from the first excavation campaign have allowed to identify the presence of several phases of abandonment and frequentation the settlement in the latest centuries of the early Middle Ages, when the presence of a stable settlement is suggested by the abundance of materials from this period. On the other hand, the occasional finding of more ancient materials from the latest contexts (as they ran-off from other contexts on the top of the hill) may support the hypothesis that older phases for the site are present and still to be investigated. The hilltop settlement of Sant’Andrea represents an important case study for regional and local phenomena, such as the “encastellation” of southern Latium as well as the study of settlement patterns and other historical issues concerning the territory of the Duchy of Gaeta, of which the settlement of Sant’Andrea was part as it was also the nearby castle of Campello.