A Picentene tomb dating to the 6th century B.C. has been discovered in Sant’Elpidio a Mare in the central Italian region of Le Marche.

Artifacts believe to be archaeological materials were reported to the local Superintendency of Archaeology who then investigated the site. The experts found that they were not individual objects, but rather an assemblage of funerary furnishings including ceramic vessels that had been placed in a tomb. The style of the ceramics identified the grave as Picentene from the 6th century B.C. T he objects were documented on site, then recovered for study and conservation in the laboratory.

The Piceni were a pre-Roman Italic people who inhabited what is now eastern central Italy between the Apennines and the Adriatic coast from the 9th to the 3rd century B.C. The Picenum area was not governed as one state, nor did it have a single large population center or capital, but it was a culture with highly developed metallurgy, ceramics and elaborately ornamented jewelry. The Roman Republic conquered Picenum and annexed its territories in the late 3rd century B.C.

The discovery is located in an area that has long been the focus of attention by the Superintendency and other agencies responsible for protecting the region’s cultural heritage. Over the years, in fact, this area has been the site of several chance archaeological finds, a circumstance that has helped keep the attention of the agencies responsible for research and heritage conservation focused on the site. The new find now offers an opportunity to further deepen our understanding of the Picene presence in the Sant’Elpidio a Mare area through the study of the grave goods and the characteristics of the burial.

Town officials are also working with the Superintendency to arrange for the public display of the newly-discovered artifacts. When the exhibition will take place depends on when the study and conservation of the objects is complete.