CARTA ARCHEOLOGICA DEI TERRITORI DI GUARDIA SANFRAMONDI, SAN LORENZELLO E DI LOCALITÀ LEONESSA DI CERRETO SANNITA

Abstract

This work is focused on the territories of San Lorenzello,
Guardia Sanframondi and Cerreto Sannita (Benevento,
Campania), in the eastern area of the Ager Telesinus, along
the route to the Apennines mountains through the Volturno,
Titerno and Calore valleys. *e present research is related to
the Project of the Archaeological Map of Northern Campan-
ia, and was carried out according to a consolidated method-
ology based on the careful analysis of multiple sources such as
bibliographic and epigraphical data, archives, historical car-
tography, remote sensing, among others. *e systematic and
capillary $eld surveys, with the georeferencing of the traces of
human activities in the territory, played a fundamental role
in detecting a remarkable increase in archaeological records,
compared to what is already known.
New data have emerged on the prehistoric and protohistoric
ages regarding the area closest to the rivers and other inland
areas. *e $ndings dated between the Iron Age and the Ar-
chaic period are of particular interest as $eld surveys conduct-
ed in the territory have detected widespread settlements.
In the Samnite period, small rural areas have been identi$ed
on the top of internal hills and in correspondence with the
terraces overlooking the Titerno Creek. *e occupation of
high altitude places has also been con$rmed, in addition to
the frequentation of the Leonessa area attested by two forti-
$ed enclosures on the peaks of Colle la Sella and La Pizzuta,
in the northern sector of the investigated area. *ese land-
marks had to “establish a system” with other forti$ed sites of
the Telesina area, as shown the viewshed analyses conducted
by ArcGIS.
In the wake of the Second Punic War, new rural settlements
were founded. Some of them are interpreted as villas which
continued to exists until the Late Roman period. One of the
most interesting rural buildings was identi$ed in Castellone
(territory of Guardia Sanframondi). *e ruins of the modern
farmhouse in this area incorporate the remains of a reservoir
which was part of the roman villa.
*e positioning in time of the settlements allows to delin-
eate the road system of the area, connected to the Via Latina
coming from Allifae and directed to Beneventum and to the
routes towards the mountain area.