COSA, ITALY

Submitted by:
Saumya Verma
171110236
COSA

Fig 2: Town Plan, Cosa

Image source: Journal Article, Cosa : History and Topography

Fig 1: Location of Cosa, Italy

Image source: www.Wikipedia.org
Regional setting

• The hill of Ansedonia (Cosa, Italy) lies on the coast of Tuscany,

138 kilometres northwest of Rome. The site is a rare beauty,
with the hill a mass of grey limestone, riddled with natural clefts
and caverns.
• It is roughly oval in shape and rises to a height of 114 m above
the water. It is a hill high and difficult enough of approach to be
easily defensible, not too high or difficult to be easily accessible.
• In ancient times, the advantages of Ansedonia’s position were
Fig 2: Cosa and its hinterland
more marked than they are today. The coastal strip to the east, Image source: Journal Article, Cosa : History and Topography
was not then, as now, a waste of sand and marsh.
• In the depression behind the dunes that fringe the sea ran a
long narrow lagoon (20 km long) , of which modern Lago Di
Burano is the remnant. The lagoon formed a natural fishery and
waterway.
• The hill of Ansedonia may well seem predestined for human
habitation from the earliest times.

Fig 3: Port and Eastern Lagoon

Image source: Journal Article, Cosa : History and Topography
Etruscan Cosa

• The necropolis of the sixth to third century BC on the isthmus of Orbetello has
been take by some as the cemetery of Etruscan Cosa.
• In 1870, however, a chamber was unearthed “nella vicinanza dell’ antica Cosa”,
which was reported to contain paintings of the early sixth century B.C.
• The immediate vicinity has yielded scattered but significant traces of Etruscan
settlement.
• Cosa, though, like other Etruscan settlements only emerges from darkness after
contact with Rome, which began in 273 B.C. when the Latin colony of Cosa was
planted.

Fig 2: Cosa ; view

Image source: www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Cosa
History
• Cosa was a Latin colony of 2500 to 4000 families, with a minimum of
7500 to 12,000 settlers in all, administered by duumvirs ( joint
magistrates of ancient Rome).
• From the outset, the function of the colony was to mount guard over
Rome’s newly acquired marches, to affirm Rome’s name and supremacy
in the neighbourhood, and to strengthen the new inland prefecture.
• The town experienced a hard life and was never truly a prosperous
Roman city.
• After the foundation, wars of the 3rd century BC affected the town. New
colonists arrived in 197 BC. Cosa seems to have prospered until it was
sacked in the 60s BC, perhaps by pirates - although an earthquake and Fig 4: Second Punic War
unrest have also been cited as reasons. Image source: www.thoughtco.com

• This led to a re-foundation under Augustus and then life continued until

the 3rd century.
• By AD 417 the site of Cosa was deserted and could be seen to be in
ruins.
 Chronology of development

Cosa becomes a Roman Second Punic War and Civil

Etruscan Cosa
Colony wars Continued*
Before 273 B.C.
273 B.C. 3rd century B.C

Most flourishing century of the colony’s Sacked by pirates,

In the condition of ruins.
Continued* existence earthquake
AD 147
2nd century B.C 60 B.C
Street Plan
• From the three gates in the northwest, northeast and the southeast
fronts, now known respectively as Porta Fiorentina, Porta Romana and
Porta Marina, roads descended the hillside. The upper portions of the two
northern roads are well-preserved. Both roads are 4.45 meters wide.
• The ground encompassed by the city wall slopes gently from the
northwest to the southeast to an almost level saddle. Slope, saddle and
heights were the determinants of the town plan.
• The larger, loftier southern height formed the natural Arx.
• The eastern height, smaller and originally six meters lower looked less
dominant. Fig 5: Road Network
Image source: https://www.argentariogolfresortspa.it
• The level plain in between, well towards the harbour side of the whole
area became the civic centre, the Forum.
• On the slopes was laid down a network of streets, crossing one another at
right angles and enclosing rectangular blocks. The streets were laid out so
as to take the utmost advantage of the natural contours.
• The streets are of three widths:

Pomeria and secondary streets: 4.45 meters

Principle arteries: 5.90-6.20 meters Fig 6: Arx from Eastern height

Image source: Journal Article, Cosa : History and Topography
Fortifications
• The fortifications of Cosa include a town wall, enclosing the town and
an Arx wall, enclosing the Arx on its townward side.
• Walls are of massive polygonal masonary (of Luglis third type) of the
local grey limestone.
• The town wall is exceptionaly well-preserved standing to its full height
at several places. The Arx wall, however, has suffered heavily from time
and medieval rebuilding.
• The Town wall is made up of 42 straight segments, generally meeting at Fig 7: Details of polygonal masonry
Image source: www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Cosa
obtuse angles. The circuit is pierces towards the centers of its
northwest, northeast and southeast fronts by three gateways. It is
reinforced by 18 towers and four interior buttresses.
• The towers do not occur in regular distances, and all but one, are
rectangular in plan. The remaining one is circular.
• The Town wall is homogenous with only minute variations owing to
difference in mason’s personal style.

Fig 8: Northeast front, tower detail.

Image source: Journal Article, Cosa : History and Topography
 Fig 10: North-east gate
Image source: Journal Article, Cosa : History and Topography

Fig 9: Gate plan and section of curtains

Image source: Image source: Journal Article, Cosa : History and Topography
Fig 11: South-east gate
Image source: Journal Article, Cosa : History and Topography
Significant features and Public spaces
• Certain buildings and group of buildings, are readily singled out: the
Arx with its temples, two other great temples, the Forum and its
buildings, the Baths near the centre of the town, the structures serving
water supply, and finally the mass of dwelling places.
• The town was built up to the walls. About the periphery, widely
separated, were planted the three chief temples. The main public
buildings were massed in the south-eastern quarter about the Forum.
Fig 12: Arx
Dwellings occupied the rest. Image source: www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Cosa

Materials and Construction

• The ordinary building material is the grey limestone of the hill itself,
whether in the form of construction stone or reduced to lime.
• A hard calcareous sandstone, grey and pitted is used for the walls and
some arches.
• The chief artificial material is the roofing tiles. Broken, it is freely used
as rubble. Sawn into cubes, it makes a flooring.
• Building brick occurs only in the shape of heavy, roughly shaped bricks
of deep red colour and of crude brick format, 0.08-0.11 m thick. These
have been found on excavations on the Arx. Fig 13: Remains of the Temple of Concord and the Comitium
Image source: www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Cosa
 Construction
• Construction was in mortared masonry and rubblework. The mortar is
a mixture of lime and sea sand and takes a characteristic peppery look.
Often, finely crushed tile was added to the mix.
• Foundations, where visible, are of mortared masonry. The limestone
blocks are roughly trimmed to trapezoidal forms and laid in beds of
mortar in broken and irregular courses.
• The walls are of random rubblework of smaller unshaped stones with
sporadic tile and sherd snecking. They are usually graded in size
towards the top.
Fig 14: Example of wall in a building
Image source: Journal Article, Cosa : History and Topography
Arx
• The Arx was an abode of the Gods. On its summit, rose a lofty
Capitolium, dominating the town, a beacon for miles at sea.
• On its right and left stood smaller temples, and in the midst ascended
the Via Sacra, prolongation within the sacred boundary of the approach
from the Forum.

Capitolium
Fig 15: Capitolium
• The Capitolium was oriented ENE and consisted of three cellae with a Image source: www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Cosa
deep columnar pronaos (with the length of the space equally divided
between the cellae and the pronaos).
• This was preceded by a terraced forecourt. Approaching from this
forecourt, one would have faced continuous steps across the entire
facade. The temple walls rose from a high podium, its steps oriented on
the axis of the Via Sacra.
• The Capitolium was built in the 2nd century BC, most likely as an
affirmation of Roman loyalty and identity following the Second Punic
War.
• A square platform is located underneath the Capitolium, cut into the
rock but oriented differently than the later building. A crevasse/pit with
vegetative remains is located here, suggesting some sort of ritual
activity with associated with the religious foundation of Cosa.
Fig 16: Arx, Via Sacra and Capitolium.
Image source: Journal Article, Cosa : History and Topography
The Forum
• The forum was the public square of the city and was the site of many important
structures, included a basilica and a curia-comitium complex, as well as
buildings termed as atria publica, which have now been shown to be houses.
• The forum of Cosa is fairly complex in archaeological terms and many of the
Republican structures were later built over with constructions of the Imperial
period.
• Important buildings in the forum area included: Temple B, a possible mall, a
Comitium, a Curia, a Basilica, and included one of Italy's oldest monumental
arches that allowed entrance into the forum. Fig 17: Remains of the Temple of Concord and the Comitium
Image source: www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Cosa
Curia and Comitium
• Curia is thought to have been a wooden structure with a stone base that was
later made more permanent. The Comitium steps, which lead up to the Curia,
appear to have been stone from the beginning. There are several layers of Curia
with the original starting as a small two story building.
• The Comitium, a circular-like mini amphitheatre, was most likely stairs to the
Curia. For Rome, it is seen that the ‘seats’ of the Comitium were also used as
the stairs to get to the Curia so we can deduce, from the similarities of Rome
and Cosa, that this was most likely the case for Cosa as well.
• The Curia is used for the proper assemblies of the magistrates, while the
Comitium was most likely used for public events, assemblies, funerals, and Fig 18: Basilica in the forum
speeches. Image source: www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Cosa
 Fig 19: Arx, plan after ca 50 B.c. Fig 20: Forum, Plan of buildings on northern side
Image source: Journal Article, Cosa : History and Topography Image source: Journal Article, Cosa : History and Topography
Socio-cultural character
Outer harbour
• There are visible remains of five large masonry piers in the outer
harbor, which are built from mortared rubblework of tufa and sherds. 
•  The concrete masonry piers provide the earliest evidence for the use
of tufo and pozzolana concrete in water, probably dating to the late
2nd or early 1st century BC

Fishery
Fig 1: Remains of the Temple of Concord and the Comitium
• Excavations have uncovered the earliest known commercial fishery Image source: www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Cosa

about 250 meters behind the port, complete with two long fish tanks
and a fresh water spring enclosed in a Spring House (on the western
embankment).
• According to McCann, “connecting channels allowed for a continuing
circulation of water and fish as well as salinity and temperature
control.” Fig 21: Harbour, Cosa
Image source: www.poderesantapia.com
• The evidence points to a large-scale fishing industry at Cosa, and it is
believed that there may have been a factory close by for salting fish
and producing the fish sauce garum (trade in garum is thought to have
been much more lucrative than most wines)
 Fig 19: Master Plan, Cosa
Image source: Journal Article, Cosa : History and Topography
References
Websites

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosa
•  https://www.tuttomaremma.com/en/romantownofcosa.htm

• https://www.argentariogolfresortspa.it

Pdfs
• Journal Article: Cosa I : History and Topography by
Frank Edward Brown
• Journal Article: Cosa IV : The Houses by
Vincent J. Bruno and Russell T. Scott
THANK YOU

Submitted by:
Saumya Verma
171110236