GRAVISCA
or Graviscae, Latium, Italy.
Port
of the Etruscan town of Tarquinia on the coast 8 km
E of its metropolis. The site of the town, often cited in
connection with a colonia civium Romanorum founded
there in 181 B.C. (see Bibl.), was disputed until excavations in 1969 uncovered it near the ruins of the Papal
harbor called Porto Clementino.
These excavations have revealed substantial parts of
the Roman settlement, established according to a regular plan of insulae, half actus (= 60 roman feet) wide.
Three insulae have been partially explored, mostly at
late Roman levels and have given clear evidence of an
extensive fire which, from the discovery of a coin hoard
of 174 solidi from Valentinianus I to Honorius, can be
attributed to the Gothic invasion of 408-10. A bronze
altar of Isis and Serapis was buried at the same time
against the arrival of the barbarians. Even after such
destruction life must have continued on the site, for a
bishop of Gravisca is known in 504.
Late Roman life (3d-5th c.) is known from a luxurious
domus, property of a family of potentiores. It had an
extensive nymphaeum, a large marble-paved hall with
a terminal apse and a small bathing annex. To Roman
times also (2d-4th c.) belong a cemetery with tile-built
tombs and a rectangular mausoleum E of the town on
the road to Tarquinia. Trial trenches under Imperial
and Republican strata have brought to light conspicuous
remains of the Etruscan town, larger and richer than
the Roman colony, and with a somewhat different street
grid.
The most important discoveries have been made 200 m
SE of the Roman insulae, well outside the limits of the
colonia, but in close connection with the Etruscan city,
on the borders of the ancient seashore. There a road,
possibly the Etruscan coastal road to Caeretan harbors,
which cuts into a large sanctuary, whose latest phase
can be dated 450-250. Surface exploration has revealed
three rectangular buildings containing altars, bases of
statues, and a considerable number of votive objects,
some of which are inscribed with dedications to the
Etruscan goddess Turan (Venus). At least one of these
buildings was constructed upon remains of a previous
shrine (dated ca. 590-480), perhaps a sacred precinct
in the open air with earth altars of which three have
been found. This archaic shrine belonged to Hera, and
was frequented almost exclusively by East Greeks, as
attested by ca. 40 graffiti on sherds, dedications to Hera
in the East Greek alphabet and in Ionian dialect; one
inscription is on a marble block, a votive gift (ca. 500
B.C.) in the form of an apotropaic and aniconic cult
image to Apollo of Aegina, presented by a certain Sostratos, most probably a renowned merchant mentioned by
Herodotos (
4.152). Much pottery of high quality (Attic,
East Greek, Laconian, some Corinthian) and ca. 1000
Greek lamps witness the importance of the emporion
for the archaic Greek trade with Tarquinia.
BIBLIOGRAPHY. M. Torelli et al., “Gravisca,” NSc
(1970)MPI; id., “Il sanctuario di Hera a Gravisca” La
Parola del Passato 136 (1971) 44-67MPI.
M. TORELLI
