The necropolis of Monte d’Elia, c. 300 m south of the ancient settlement of Aletium, was explored by the Superintendency during the 1980s. At the time, numerous tombs were identified aligned along a road and datable to between the 6th and 2nd century B.C.

The summer of 2020 saw the first excavation campaign within the ambit of a convention stipulated between the municipality of Alezio, Salento University and the ISPC-CNR. In 2018, a ground penetrating radar survey carried out by CNR revealed anomalies indicating the presence of archaeological remains, therefore trial trenches were opened in various zones surrounding the area investigated previously. However, they only revealed a simple stratification: the agricultural topsoil overlay a series of dumped layers, the deepest of which containing 4th-3rd century B.C. pottery, covering the limestone bed-rock.

Subsequently, the investigation continued in two sectors adjacent to the complex that is open to the public. To the east, excavation took place along a line of blocks and stones running east-west (US 22): an accumulation of material, US 19, was removed. This covered surface US 23 corresponding to the road along which the majority of the tombs are aligned.
To the west, in an extension of the old excavations, a funerary structure was uncovered, constituted by moulded sandstone blocks (US 30/T1 – 2.5×1.3 m). The fill was formed by several layers (US 32, 33, 34, 35) within which were the skeletal remains of nine adults and two children, pottery fragments and faunal remains. Of interest, the presence of a ‘trozzella’ decorated with birds, a grey ware lamp, two loom weights and a spear point. The structure functioned as an ossuary for the secondary deposition of bodies previously buried in other tombs. The bottom of T1 was formed by three large sandstone slabs (US 36).

Further north, the investigation continued along the alignment of burials parallel to the road. A small sandstone monolithic sarcophagus was uncovered (US 43/T2 – 0.77×1.26 m), closed by a slab US 41. The skeletal remains were badly-preserved, the tomb group comprised an amphoretta decorated with a bird, a black-glaze miniature skyphos, a small polychrome terracotta base, an astragalus and an iron strigil. These elements suggest this was the tomb of a male child about four years old, dating to the late 4th century B.C. The excavation of the pit housing the sarcophagus revealed the presence of archaic pottery fragments, thus dating the creation of T2 to this period. The continuation of the excavations exposed several funerary reductions (US 52, 54, 55, 56, 58, 60) distributed around the tomb, therefore, it was reused several times from the 6th to the 4th century B.C. The skeletal remains in secondary deposition were associated with objects of personal ornament such as bronze or iron fibulae and rings, and, in one case, several olive stones. The presence of a red-figure lekythos can probably be associated with purification rituals.