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| Image Credit : Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the Province of Viterbo and for Southern Etruria |
The Discovery
The finds were made during the 2026 research campaign at Gran Carro di Bolsena, an archaeological site submerged beneath the volcanic Lake Bolsena. They follow closely on the heels of another exceptional discovery at the site: the first known Iron Age textile fragment recovered there in more than sixty years of ongoing investigation.
Together, these discoveries are providing archaeologists with an increasingly detailed picture of the communities that occupied the lakeshore during the closing centuries of the Bronze Age and the beginning of the Iron Age, a pivotal period of transformation in central Italian prehistory.
What Archaeologists Found
Among the most significant discoveries are ceramic vessels identified as belonging to the Late Bronze Age. Researchers say the pottery provides firm evidence of a Proto-Villanovan phase at Gran Carro, extending the settlement's known chronological history considerably. The Proto-Villanovan culture developed in Italy during the final stages of the Bronze Age, preceding the Villanovan culture of the Early Iron Age, which is closely associated with the later emergence of Etruscan civilisation.
Perhaps the most unusual finds, however, came from an enigmatic area of the archaeological complex known as the Aiola. Researchers discovered intact ears of spelt deposited inside ceramic vessels, preserved for millennia within the site's waterlogged environment. The plant remains were found alongside objects bearing similarities to grave goods known from Villanovan burials of the Early Iron Age, suggesting a possible connection to ritual or funerary practice rather than purely domestic activity.
The lake has also preserved another material normally vulnerable to decay: wood. Large wooden elements have been identified beneath stones in the lower portion of what has been described as a sacred mound at the site. Further investigation will be required to establish whether these timbers formed part of a building, a platform, or another type of prehistoric structure entirely. Other organic discoveries from Gran Carro include woven material, including one artefact thought possibly to have served as a rope or hawser.
Historical Background
The newly recovered pottery suggests that Gran Carro was not occupied during just a single period of Italian prehistory, but rather developed through several distinct phases, making the submerged settlement particularly valuable for archaeologists attempting to understand how communities in central Italy changed during the broader transition from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age. This chronological depth positions Gran Carro as a rare and important site for tracing cultural continuity leading toward the eventual emergence of Etruscan civilisation in the region.
The latest discoveries follow the recovery of the very first textile fragment identified at Gran Carro, a striking find given more than six decades of prior archaeological research at the site. That discovery, together with other evidence associated with textile production, has opened a further window into the everyday life of the settlement's ancient inhabitants.
Scientific Analysis
It is the unusual preservation conditions beneath Lake Bolsena that have made these organic discoveries possible. By covering the ancient remains, the lake created conditions in which certain organic materials survived that would ordinarily have decomposed long ago at a comparable site preserved on dry land. This is particularly significant, since organic materials such as textiles, plant remains and timber rarely survive for thousands of years at most archaeological sites, meaning Gran Carro offers researchers an unusually rich and multidimensional record of prehistoric daily life.
Researchers hope that detailed analysis of the recovered spelt and its precise archaeological context could shed light on food resources, ritual activity and possible funerary practices, as well as the symbolic importance ancient communities attached to particular crops. Meanwhile, the survival of substantial wooden elements offers archaeologists a rare opportunity to examine construction materials and techniques that would almost certainly have disappeared entirely had the settlement been preserved on land rather than beneath the lake.
Why This Discovery Matters
Rather than surviving only through pottery and other durable objects, activities carried out by Gran Carro's inhabitants can now potentially be reconstructed through textiles, plants and timber as well, offering a far more complete and human picture of settlement life than ceramic evidence alone could ever provide. The combination of Late Bronze Age ceramics, Early Iron Age parallels, preserved crops and as-yet-unexplained wooden structures is making Gran Carro increasingly important for understanding the long-term occupation of the Lake Bolsena shoreline across a critical period of cultural transformation.
What was once regarded simply as a prehistoric settlement hidden beneath a lake is now emerging as an unusually well-preserved archive of ancient Italian life, with researchers noting that the water may still be concealing further discoveries yet to come.
What's Next?
The 2026 campaign was conducted by the Underwater Archaeology Service of the regional Superintendency, forming part of a three-year programme overseen by Italy's Ministry of Culture. Specialist underwater archaeologists from L'Anfora Srl Archeologia Mare Ambiente participated alongside underwater conservators from CSR Restauro Beni Culturali, with conservation work further strengthened through an agreement with Italy's Central Institute for Restoration.
Although fieldwork for the latest campaign has now concluded, investigation of the discoveries is only just beginning. Researchers must now conserve and analyse the recovered pottery, textiles, botanical remains and timber, before comparing them systematically with material recovered during previous excavation seasons at the site.
Conclusion
The discoveries emerging from beneath Lake Bolsena continue to transform Gran Carro from a simple submerged settlement into one of central Italy's most valuable archives of prehistoric life. From preserved spelt and Late Bronze Age pottery to mysterious wooden structures and rare textile fragments, each new find adds further depth to understanding of how communities on this lakeshore lived, worked and possibly conducted ritual practice during the pivotal transition from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age — with the lake's waters likely still holding further secrets yet to be revealed.
FAQ
Q: What was discovered at Gran Carro di Bolsena in 2026? A: Archaeologists uncovered Late Bronze Age pottery, intact ears of spelt preserved inside ceramic vessels, and mysterious large wooden structures.
Q: What is the significance of the pottery found? A: It provides firm evidence of a Proto-Villanovan phase at Gran Carro, extending the settlement's known occupation across several chronological periods.
Q: Where were the spelt remains found? A: They were discovered in an area of the site known as the Aiola, alongside objects resembling grave goods from Villanovan burials of the Early Iron Age.
Q: Why have organic materials survived so well at this site? A: The waterlogged, submerged conditions beneath Lake Bolsena preserved organic materials such as textiles, plant remains and timber that would normally decompose at land-based archaeological sites.
Q: Who is conducting the excavation and research? A: The work is led by the Underwater Archaeology Service of the regional Superintendency, as part of a three-year programme overseen by Italy's Ministry of Culture, with specialist underwater archaeologists and conservators involved.
