La ricerca archeologica tra centro e periferia. Il caso delle cosiddette Carte Bracci

The interest in archival research applied to archaeology has never waned, and indeed in recent years we have witnessed a new interest, at least in the study of pre-Roman Italy. Broader theoretical considerations have gone hand in hand with targeted research on specific contexts, and specific personalities have been reread. In this context, the studies of the Tyrrhenian area have reached a particular level of detail for some case studies and have allowed, among other things, to highlight secondary actors on the stage of archaeological research, whose contribution was fundamental, especially with regard to the phases of discovery and study of those contexts that often still constitute the foundations on which the history of entire territories is based today. So far, this type of focus has mainly been placed on the first fifty years after the unification of Italy, but it is clearly possible to extend it to more recent periods. This is exactly what is being attempted with the study of the so-called Carte Bracci, an archive fund at the Archaeological Museum of the Agro Falisco, which is being reported on here for the first time. The Carte Bracci are an essential tool for researchers working on the area north of Rome, between Capena and Orte, which was under the supervision of the ‘Custode di zona’ Arcangelo Bracci during his years of service to the State (1950-1975). A brief biographical sketch of Arcangelo Bracci, written by a person who knew him personally, is presented, followed by a description of the structure of the collection and the selection of a specific case study – that of the quarries and their impact on the territory – which is particularly relevant to shed light on his activity in the area. Finally, considering the relevance of the documentation, the research and dissemination potential of the current study is outlined.