Ca' Morta

Discovery and excavation

The Ca' Morta tomb was discovered in 1928 by the landowner, Giuseppe Butti, following a landslide and subsequent landslide in the eponymous necropolis. Antonio Giussani of the Società Archeologica Comense (Comascan Archaeological Society) carried out the extraction, identification and inventory of the various pieces and artifacts contained in the burial cellar. With the support of his team of archaeological researchers, Giussani also brushed, cleaned, and deoxidized the archaeological material discovered.

All the pieces were entrusted to the then Director of the Como Archaeological Museum, the architect Luigi Peronne. He took charge of restoring and reconstructing the chariot, since when the tomb was uncovered, the funerary vehicle appeared fragmented.

These initial excavations were not exhaustive, as a second inspection in 1930 unearthed a final piece: an elaborate bronze kylix, probably of Attic origin. In the necropolis's archaeological registers, the Ca' Morta tomb is listed, then recorded under the technical designation: "Tomb III /1928".

Context

The Cà' Morta burial site was discovered on the southern outskirts of the city of Como, in Lombardy, in the continuation of an avenue: Via Giovanni di Baserga, in the Albate district.

Analysis of the archaeological material extracted from the burial vault confirms that it dates from the second half of the 5th century B.C.

The burial site lies within a vast cemetery known as the "Ca' Morta necropolis". This burial complex, discovered in the 19th century, has been the subject of several excavation programs, including one by Ferrante Rittatore Vonwiller. As a result, several other tombs were uncovered. Examination of their funerary material enabled us to determine the different chronological stages of the necropolis. In addition, analysis and interpretation of the Viatics, comprising artefacts such as ceremonial objects, bronze votive offerings, painted crockery and ceramics, revealed the importance of trade between the Comascan territory and other regions: primarily Padanian Etruria, Magna Graecia and the Celtic Hallstatian culture.

The objects and remains found in the necropolis date its construction to between 750 and 700 BC, during the Early Iron Age. Nevertheless, a significant number of markers, such as manufactured products and ruins of mortuary structures, lend credence to the hypothesis of the re-employment of a protohistoric cemetery dating from the Middle to Recent Bronze Age. …

Description of the Ca' Morta tomb

The entire burial structure is covered by a voluminous tumulus made up of an agglomerate of rough granite stones, amalgamated with rich clay soil.

The upper part of the burial vault, or sepulchre, takes the form of a large, elaborate limestone slab of remarkable dimensions: 1.8 m x 1.4 m. It weighs approximately 1.8 tonnes.

The lower part of the grave, the pit, is 80 cm square, providing a space for the deceased and his or her viaticum of approximately 0.64 m2. Its depth is approximately 70 cm.

Objects and artifacts unearthed

This is a Hallstatt-type bronze "parade chariot" manufactured using a rolling technique. When first discovered, it was presented in the form of individual pieces; it was subsequently reconstructed and restored at the Como Archaeological Museum.

It is fitted with four identical wheels, made of bronze, oak, and iron. Only one was found intact. The other three, in fragmentary condition, had to be restored. The wheels measure 96 cm in circumference. Each wheel has ten bronze spokes in the shape of a hose. They are also iron-rimmed. Analyses and studies by Luigi Peronne and his team determined that this strengthened the wheels during use.

The other parts of the chariot are also worked in laminated bronze and ornamented (notably the balustrades and the vehicle body). In addition, the body is large compared to the other components. It was found to contain a cinerary urn. This parade vehicle also features a repoussé blade.

The chariot from burial site "III/1928" at Ca' Morta is thought to have been made in a wheelwright's workshop close to the discovery site.

The kylix (or Greek-type chalice) is identified as having an Attic origin by Professor Raffaelle Carlo De Marinis. Made of cast bronze and decorated by incision with a spatula, this vase features "red-figure" motifs. This kylix appears to be the only example attested in a funerary context in the Golaseccian territory. In addition, the drinking vessel is fitted with a foot of considerable height. After analysis of several fragments, its composition was found to be homogeneous: the content of tin and copper, the two metals making up the alloy, is constant throughout the object.

Unidentified during the first excavations in 1928, the object was found on its own in 1930, during a second dig. It enables us to establish a more precise date for the foundation of the burial site; the burial chamber and its viaticum are thus associated with the Golasecca III period. …