1st Century Tile Workshop Discovered in Corsica – History Blog

An excavation on the east coast of Corsica has uncovered the remains of a 1st century AD tile workshop. INRAP archaeologists excavated the site on a hill overlooking the Étang de Diane, a lagoon that opens to the Tyrrhenian Sea in northern Corsica. Aleria has been ahead of its real estate development since July.

The remains of an early Iron Age prehistoric settlement were the first evidence of occupation unearthed by the team. It is a large village with about 50 buildings, some of stone and some of perishable materials, leaving only holes in the pillars. Archaeologists have discovered a wealth of locally made ceramics and some Etruscan imported ceramics. (The Etruscans founded the nearby town of Nicaea, while Aleria was founded in the 6th century B.C. by colonists from Phocia, Ionia, Greece.) Excavations also uncovered artifacts containing large stone tools (mills). stone, grinding wheel) fragments.

To the south of the prehistoric site, almost on the water, archaeologists discovered a full-fledged tile production workshop. Every stage of production takes place here, starting with decanting the clay into a large tiled basin (separating the clay particles from the water by allowing them to settle). The tiles (architectural tegula) are then fired in a kiln with a double-vaulted heating chamber. The kiln is housed in a large masonry building with walls made of pebbles in lime mortar.

Next to the kiln building is a building with thick walls and buttresses. Archaeologists believe this was a warehouse where finished tiles were sorted and stored. Large pits were dug around the building containing waste material from the kilns and burned and broken tiles.

In the Wachangfang area on the outskirts, eight funerary buildings were discovered. Most buildings were of tile construction (formwork lined with tiles or gabled tile roofs), supported by stone wedges. no bones Survived due to the acidic soul, but an urn was found which may have contained ashes. It is still full of soil and due to its fragility Excavations will be conducted under laboratory conditions. Some pottery and glass balsam were found in the tiled tomb. Their age has not yet been determined, but given the association with the tile workshop, the graves may belong to the same period.

A second round of excavation will continue until December, but after that the privately owned land will be returned to the developer. All removable archaeological artifacts will be recovered and studied in the laboratory in early 2025. Multidisciplinary expert team (Ceramists, Anthropologists, Geomorphologists, Palynologists, etc.) will analyze the archaeological material and determine the age of the burials.