San Martino Excavations Reveal Roman Coins and Defensive Origins

Outlining the summary of the 2000 excavation campaign, at the end of the evening dedicated to the study of vegetation from two thousand years ago in the San Martino area (an interesting project carried out expertly by the Como Civic Museum), Silvano Zamboni from the Archaeological Heritage Office of Trento began by recalling the task of these digs. Within a fairly large area, they must select the sections and proceed step-by-step.

“No major news emerged this year, as the preference was to organize some already started excavations and to complete others, particularly near the ancient church and halfway to the imperial sanctuary, where a new, interesting foundation was uncovered,” stated Zamboni. He illustrated the evocative hypothesis that the San Martino area initially served as a defensible position in times of barbarian invasions for the Ligurian valley populations, who could return to the plains or the villages during peaceful periods.

Findings and Hypotheses About the Function of the Area

The only artifact dated 2000 of significant interest is the forty coins from various Roman eras, from the early centuries to the late Empire, uncovered in a single site. This raised the question, which the ongoing research aims to answer, whether this site was a cultural place or some sort of bank.

Regarding the continuation of excavations at San Martino, as already mentioned, the provincial councilor for cultural activities Claudio Molinari provided assurances. He was among the guests at the evening organized by the Promotion Committee.