L'Olla di Cerere e le altre. Voci, Forme, Complessità (Catalogo della mostra)

The inscription known as the “Olla of Ceres”, dating to the mid-7th century BCE and originating from the Faliscan territory (Falerii), represents one of the most complex and significant testimonies of archaic Faliscan writing and language. Since its discovery, the extraordinary length and elaboration of the text, combined with the highly fragmented state of the ceramic vessel, have made philological reconstruction and comprehensive interpretation of the document exceptionally challenging. This book presents the findings of an interdisciplinary research project launched in 2023 by Ca' Foscari University of Venice in collaboration with Sapienza University of Rome, the University of Bologna, Politecnico di Milano, CINECA, and the National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia. The study combined historical-linguistic and archaeological analysis with archaeometric investigations for material characterization, alongside the application of digital, geomatic, and computational technologies. Through 3D scanning and the creation of a high-resolution virtual model, digital manipulation of the fragments enabled the testing of new hypotheses for structural reconstruction. This approach led to a surprising result: the fragments previously attributed to a single vessel actually belong to two distinct ollae of identical craftsmanship, with the open possibility of a third vessel of the same type. Re-examining the artifact and comparing it with contemporary Faliscan epigraphic production sheds new light on elite literacy and writing practices in the 7th century BCE. This work demonstrates the efficacy of integrating the humanities, materials science, and 3D modeling to resolve complex philological and physical reconstruction challenges in pre-Roman archaeological heritage.