The stone of the Etruscan inscribed steles from the Valdelsa area (Siena,Italy)

The results of an archaeometric study on five inscribed Etruscan funerary stelae, produced during the second half of the sixth century BC, in the Valdelsa area (NW of Siena, Italy), are reported. The style of the inscriptions suggests the presence of a local culture and a common language. The stone used to make the stelae is a laminated limestone consisting of the alternation of more or less compact bands whose petrographic features can be compared to those of travertines (continental carbonates deposited from hot springs). The fabric of the stone of these stelae implies provenance from a thermal deposit, in the Valdelsa area, where calcareous tufa dominates; however, hot water deposits are probably to be found in the Gracciano Val d'Elsa area, not far from the localities where the stelae were found. © The Geological Society of London 2006.