1st c. tile workshop found in Corsica

An excavation on the east coast of Corsica has uncovered the remains of a tile workshop dating to the 1st century A.D. Archaeologists from INRAP have been excavating the site on a small hill overlooking the Étang de Diane, a lagoon exiting to the Tyrrhenian Sea just north of Aleria, since July in advance of a real estate development.

Remains of an Early Iron Age pre-historic settlement is the first evidence of occupation the team unearthed. It was a good-sized village with about 50 structures, some of stone others of perishable materials from which only post holes remain. Archaeologists found abundant ceramics of local manufacture and several examples of Etruscan imports. (Etruscans founded the nearby town of Nicaea, while Aleria was founded by colonists from Phocaea in Ionia, Greece, in the 6th century B.C.) The excavation also revealed pits containing fragments of large stone tools (millstones, grinding wheels).

To the immediate south of the pre-historic site almost on top of the water, archaeologists found a full-fledged tile production workshop. Every stage of production took place here, starting with the decantation of the clay (when it is separated from water by allowing the clay particles to settle) in a large tile-lined basin. The tiles (architectural tegulae) were then fired in a kiln with a double-vaulted heating chamber. The kiln was inside a large masonry building with walls made of pebbles in lime mortar.

Next to the kiln building was another structure with thick walls supported by buttresses. Archaeologists believe it was the warehouse where the finished tiles were sorted and stored. A number of large pits dug outside the perimeter of the structure contained waste from the kiln and misfired and broken tiles.

On the outskirts of the tile workshop area, the excavation uncovered eight funerary structure. Most of them feature tile architecture (formwork lined with tiles or gable with tile roofs) with stone wedges for support. No bones survived due to the acidic soul, but one funerary urn was found that may contain cinerary remains. It is still filled with soil and due to its fragility will be excavated in laboratory conditions. A few pieces of pottery and glass balsamaria were found within the tile graves. They have not been conclusively dated yet, but given the connection to the tile workshop, the graves probably date to the same period.

The second round of excavations will continue into December, but after that the land, which is privately owned, will be returned to the developers. All the movable archaeology will be recovered and studied in the laboratory in early 2025. A multi-disciplinary team of experts (ceramologists, anthropologists, geomorphologists, palynologists, etc.) will analyze the archaeological materials and date the burials. 

* This article was originally published here