Cetamura del Chianti is a small habitation site in the Chianti region of Tuscany which has yielded a number of bucchero pottery fragments. Bucchero is an Etruscan fineware, known for its characteristic burnished black surface, consistent black color throughout the paste, and smooth texture. Bucchero pottery, useful as a dating tool, ranges in date from the seventh to the fourth century BC, and is characteristic of Etruscan settlements and manufacture.
In this thesis, I analyze the bucchero found at Cetamura del Chianti between 1978 and 2003, which I have surveyed and included in a catalog. Using the details and information that the catalog entries provide, this paper includes an overall examination of the pottery, noting especially the presence of various vessel forms; namely: miniature kyathos, small jug, plate cover, kantharos, plate, cup, chalice, and miniature bowl. It also examines the special features of some of the pottery, including a palmette stamp and incised graffiti and gives relevant comparanda for each item. This survey of the pottery fragments included in the catalog helps to show what kinds of vessels were being used at the site, the range in quality of the vessels, from very fine, smooth fragments to rough and poorer qualities of bucchero, and the likelihood that bucchero was being imported to the site from regional workshops, rather than being made by resident craftsmen.
Finally, in this thesis I place these discussions in the context of the pottery and other material objects found at the site of Cetamura del Chianti. The pottery fragments show definite activity in the Etruscan habitation period on the site, especially in the 6th century BC. Additionally, I place my findings about the quality and forms of the vessels found at Cetamura in the larger context of bucchero pottery found in Northern Etruria, especially, and from similar small habitation sites throughout Etruria at this time.
