Archaeologists have uncovered Late Bronze Age pottery, preserved spelt and large wooden structures at a submerged settlement beneath Lake Bolsena in central Italy.
Credit: Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the Province of Viterbo and for Southern Etruria
The finds came during the 2026 research and conservation campaign at Gran Carro di Bolsena. The work is led by the underwater archaeology service of Italy’s heritage authority, with teams from L’Anfora SRL Archeologia Mare Ambiente and CSR Restauro Beni Culturali. A recent agreement with Italy’s Central Institute for Restoration also supports checks on the condition of wooden and ceramic remains.
Several ceramic vessels recovered during the campaign belong to the Late Bronze Age. Their date provides firm evidence for a Proto-Villanovan phase at Gran Carro, pushing the known history of the settlement further back.
The Proto-Villanovan period belongs to the final stages of the Bronze Age in Italy. It came before the Villanovan culture of the Early Iron Age, a period closely linked with the rise of Etruscan civilization.
Credit: Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the Province of Viterbo and for Southern Etruria
The pottery shows that Gran Carro was occupied through more than one phase of Italian prehistory. The site therefore offers a rare record of changes around the shift from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age.
The Aiola area has produced some of the most unusual finds. Archaeologists found intact ears of spelt placed inside ceramic vessels. The grain survived for thousands of years because waterlogged conditions helped protect organic remains.
The spelt was found with objects similar to grave goods known from Villanovan burials of the Early Iron Age. Such a mix of plant remains and burial-style objects raises questions about the role of food and plants in ritual activity at the site.
Credit: Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the Province of Viterbo and for Southern Etruria
Large wooden elements have also appeared near the base of a sacred mound. Some lie partly beneath layers of stone. Their purpose is still unclear, but the size and position of the remains point to structures linked with the mound.
The wooden remains add another layer to a site already known for its rare preservation. Water beneath Lake Bolsena has protected organic materials alongside pottery, giving researchers access to evidence often lost at dry archaeological sites.
The 2026 campaign also follows the recent recovery of the first known Iron Age textile fragment from Gran Carro in more than 60 years of research. The textile adds to a growing group of finds from the settlement and helps fill gaps in the record of daily life during the period.
Gran Carro lies beneath Lake Bolsena, a volcanic lake in the Lazio region of central Italy. The settlement became submerged after changes in the lake environment, preserving parts of the site underwater.
Researchers are now studying the new finds and monitoring the condition of remains exposed during excavation. The work also includes efforts to protect the site and improve knowledge of the submerged settlement.
The latest campaign shows how much information still survives beneath the lake. Pottery, plant remains, textiles and wood together offer separate lines of evidence for the people who lived at Gran Carro during a key period of change in prehistoric Italy.
More information: Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the Province of Viterbo and for Southern Etruria