Many Prehistoric, Etruscan and Roman archaeological finds are
showed at Partina Museum.
ARCHAEOLOGY IN THE CASENTINO: FROM PREHISTORY TO ROMAN AGE.
Human presence
in Casentino valley is well shown by surface searches and
archeological excavations made in the last twenty years that found clear
evidence of ancient installations on the territory. Casentino was already
settled by prehistoric hunters that left traces of numerous lithic stations
and hunting tools, like barbs, cusps and hatchets, on the valley river floor terracings, about 100.000 years ago (from the middle Paleolithic to
Eneolithic – Neolithic). However, human presence became more obvious during
the Iron Age: among the most recent discoveries there are one VI century B.C.
huts settlement, located in the hills of Saint Niccolò Castle district and an etruscan
one, dated from VIII to III
century B.C., in Pratovecchio municipality. These discoveries show powerful families
leaving their traces on the territory, especially inside graves and in protected local sanctuaries like
that of Socana Parish church, in Focognano Castle municipality, where remains of
a VII century B.C. temple have been found.
Likely, in this prehistorical age, the valley was used as a crossing area linking Etruria inland with Adriatic stores. In fact, rich votive offerings discovered on Falterona Mountain, are an exceptional proof of soldiers, shepherds and dealers that passed through the Apennines: in the past century more than six hundred small bronzes and thousands of arms and coins were found. This finds were exactly left as a gift in the shores of a small lake, later named "The Idols Lake" in a locality called "Ciliegeta", near Arno River sources. Further archaeological surveys have displayed that towards the end of the III and II century B.C., in particular during the Roman Imperial Age, there were agricultural settlings, and many rural houses, sometimes provided with imposing thermal installations, like, for instance, that of "Domo", recovered near Bibbiena. Most of these settlings were situated along ancient roads, later used also in Medieval ages: the early Middle-medieval parish churches were built along them indeed. Besides, recent excavations have pointed out how the first baptisimal parish churches rose on ancient Etruscan and Roman settlements, the remains of which were hidden under the following imposing Roman buildings of XI and XII centuries. In short Casentino has got a lot of archaeological properties right inside the ruines of its many ancient castles and monasteries, which are partly well visible still today.