Etruscan necropolis found

| Mon, 09/05/2005 - 05:32

(ANSA) - Italian archaeologists have found a new Etruscan necropolis at this Tuscan hilltown, one of the major centres of the pre-Roman civilisation.

An ongoing dig at Cortona's Etruscan site has revealed two circular tombs with stone funerary boxes containing hundreds of objects including an iron javelin, drinking cups, eating bowls and brooches. The finds are believed to date back to the seventh century BC.

The dig also unearthed evidence of a large building, one of whose walls was 24m long. "This discovery is destined to rewrite the history of Etruscan Cortona," said Italy's Junior Culture Minister Antonio Martusciello.

The Cortona site is under constant police guard to ward off tomb raiders.

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