Vallone di San Lorenzo Necropolis: 3D replicas exhibited in the US and

Vallone di San Lorenzo Necropolis: 3D replicas on display and summer excavations

Several 3D-printed replicas of the vessels found at the Vallone di San Lorenzo necropolis in Montecchio are currently on display in Cleveland at Kent State University. Produced using reinforced materials and carbon fiber, the replicas closely reproduce the appearance and shapes of the original finds stored in the regional archaeological superintendent's depots.

The exhibition is part of an institutional collaboration involving the Regional Superintendency for Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape of Umbria, the University of Perugia, the American university and the Municipality of Montecchio. A seventh excavation campaign at the site will begin in the summer under ministerial permit and with the Superintendency's close supervision.

• Purpose: stratigraphic excavation and documentation of the pre-Roman burial area.
• Participants: archaeologists, researchers and students from Italy and the United States enrolled in the Montecchio Archaeology Field School.
• Scientific directors: Prof. Gian Luca Grassigli and Prof. Sarah Harvey.
• Field directors: Stefano Spiganti and Francesco Pacelli; technical supervision by Dr. Luca Pulcinelli.
• Exhibition: 3D replicas on display at Kent State University for educational and research purposes.

Investigated systematically since 2017, the Vallone di San Lorenzo is one of the most significant pre-Roman burial areas in Umbria. Past campaigns have revealed chamber tombs, while recent work has exposed large sectors of the necropolis dominated by pit graves, dado-type burials and stone-chest tombs.

International cooperation and technologies such as 3D printing enhance both the digital preservation and educational display of artifacts and support field research and excavation activities.