ARTENA

Location: Artena, Lazio (Italy) — 41.7278 N, 12.9111 E

Dating: 8th-5th centuries BC

Characteristics: Above Artena’s old town on top of some local hills (Piano della Civita di Artena) sits the ancient remains of a pre-Roman settlement. The polygonal walls form one side of an upper acropolis and an outer circuit along the natural western edge of the ridgeline. Today, a quarry borders the westernmost stretch of wall. The polygonal stonework is rougher than other regional sites in the region like Segni or Cori, but the blocks are still considerably large and in places measure 1 meter in length and height.

Polygonal classification: Types I-II (Lugli)

Attribution: The ancient settlement and polygonal walls are attributed to pre-Roman Italic builders (likely Volsci or neighboring populations).

Specific points to see:

• Piano della Civita di Artena (Antico Insediamento e Mura Poligonali di Artena)