By Ashlyn Beck | News Editor
After eight years of research and excavation, a team of Baylor archaeologists unveiled a tomb that gives a glimpse into life 2,600 years ago.
The rare Etruscan tomb was discovered by a team of professional archaeologists, graduate students and Baylor undergraduate students under the San Giuliano Archaeological Research Project, a program exploring ancient civilizations through archaeological research on a site 70 km northwest of Rome.
Dr. Colleen Zori, principal investigator for SGARP and senior lecturer in the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core, has been exploring this site alongside her husband, Dr. Davide Zori, for about eight years.
“While this was one really big discovery, it’s kind of the culmination of really methodical and systematic work that we’ve been doing since 2016,” Colleen Zori said.
For years, SGARP has explored the burial practices on the site dating back to pre-Roman civilization. They discovered a transition from cremation to trench tombs and, eventually, what are called tumuli — large tombs built into bedrock that can host up to about 12 people.
“We’ve documented over 600 of them, and we’ve excavated a handful,” Colleen Zori said. “We’ve been able to tell that these are family tombs.”
The tumuli reveal a more recent burial style that emphasized both the family unit and the city. The tombs, containing couch-like slabs that held the bodies, often held a variety of artifacts as well.
These tombs have been largely looted since the Roman period, leaving little to be uncovered by archaeologists — until this summer, when SGARP discovered a tomb that slipped by looters undetected.
“They’re almost archaeologists,” Colleen Zori said. “They know exactly where things are, so it was kind of remarkable that this one escaped detection.”
With the help of a special camera, the archaeologists peered through the doorway to find tomb materials intact. After years of searching for artifacts to inform archaeologists about the Etruscan lifestyle pre-Roman Empire, an exhibition was uncovered beneath their feet.
“That day was crazy. People were crying [and] hugging. It really was the culmination of many, many years of work,” Colleen Zori said.
After the ground-breaking discovery came days of identifying artifacts inside, cleaning them and documenting them for further study. Archaeologists discovered ceramic vases, iron weapons, hair spools and more, all giving them a glimpse into the arcane seventh century civilization.
According to Colleen Zori, a conglomeration of former Baylor students, undergraduate students and professional archeologists formed the team working to excavate the tomb. Locals and representatives of the provincial government of Rome joined when they heard of the discovery, adding to what Colleen Zori described as a nerve-racking and scrutinizing experience.
SGARP boasts an array of leaders with years of archeological, art history and geological experience. But SGARP Laboratory Director Dr. Jerolyn Morrison said the group made an effort to include Baylor undergraduate students and locals every step of the way.
“In addition to the work of receiving, processing and cataloging finds from the excavation, we also regularly work to engage the local community in their cultural heritage,” Morrison said. “Many members of the town of Barbarano Romano, as well as academic guests, visited the lab to view the vases and the students participated too.”
Undergraduate students are invited to participate through a study abroad program called “Archaeology in Research in Italy.” The program has a quality that sets it apart from others — though students frequently return. The result is a combination of experienced upper-level undergraduate students who can come alongside new students during the research and help them out.
“The experience that undergraduate students had was really special and meaningful,” Colleen Zori said. “It will be something that really stays with them, I hope.”
Garden Grove, Calif., junior Bryan Hansen said he spent most of his time on the San Giuliano plateau with Colleen Zori. Later, he helped excavate the tomb and said his whole experience helped him better understand the region and its history.
“Being a part of that was really exciting, and the day that we finally revealed it, it felt like the whole town came out to see and celebrate with us that we found this fantastic discovery,” Hansen said.
Though Colleen Zori didn’t participate in the day-to-day exploration and excavation of the site, she held down the fort with undergraduate students in the lab. The project’s success, she said, was largely thanks to Morrison and Co-Principal Investigator Dr. Jaime Aprile.
“That discovery looks like it all happened in one moment, but it took eight years to build it, and then it’ll take us another chunk of time until we’re done with all of our analyses, so that’ll be the next stage of work,” Colleen Zori said.
For now, SGARP is basking in the success of a needle-in-a-haystack discovery and returning to the lab to analyze the findings. According to Aprile, the find significantly adds to Baylor’s and SGARP’s credibility in the archaeology world.
“This discovery establishes our program as a serious contributor to Mediterranean archaeology through methodical, collaborative research that produces results of international significance,” Aprile said.
