ILVA
(Elba) Etruria, Italy.
Named Aithalia
by the Greeks, the island is cited by Greek writers (from
Polybius to Strabo, Ptolemy, and Diodorus Siculus) and
by Latin writers (from Vergil to Pliny and Rutilius Namatianus) primarily for the mining of iron, first by the
Greeks, then by the Etruscans and the Romans. A large
number of discoveries have been made on land and in
the sea (an abandoned ancient ship at Procchio). Inhabited from the Stone Age into the Roman era, the
island offers even now the sight of two large Roman
villas, one at Grotte di Portoferraio and the other at
Cavo di Rio Marina. Archaeological finds are in the
museums of Florence, Livorno, Rome, Reggio Emilia,
and in depositories on Elba (Portoferraio, Marciana,
and Porto Azzurro).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
NSc (1880) 77-78 and (1878) 62;
AnchAnthrop (1924) 89-116; V. Mellini with G. Monaco, “Memorie storiche Isola Elba,”
Repertorio archeologico e Bibliografia sistematica (1965); G. Monaco in
FA from 12 (1959) on and in
StEtr (Rassegna Scavi e
scoperte) from 27 (1959) to 41 (1973); id., Atti I & II,
Convegno Stonia Elbana (1974-75); id. & M. Tabanelli,
Guida all'Elba archeologica (1974-75).
G. MONACO
