The excavation of the prehistoric mine of Poggio Malinverno (Allumiere), on the Monti della Tolfa, is part of a research project run by the German Institute of Archaeology, aimed at identifying prehistoric copper mining activities in central Italy. The site of Malinverno, where the remains of an 18th century galena mine are still visible, was chosen following a survey in 2010 during which numerous stone mallets, indicative of prehistoric mining, were found. A number of trenches of different dimensions were dug in various points of the mining complex. The excavations uncovered numerous roughly made stone hammers in the trench positioned close to the site’s access road, where they were also found during the survey. They were found in layers about 20-30 cm thick. Some of the hammers seemed to have been displaced by the construction of a small road at the end of last century, which crossed the excavation area and the prehistoric settlement. An outcrop of copper bearing minerals was discovered in the south-western part of the mining area. The excavation identified several fills of ancient pits and trenches, of the type seen in open face prehistoric mines. A mineshaft was also identified, filled with dark soil containing a number of prehistoric brown impasto pottery fragments. The ancient open face mining activities carefully follow the direction of the copper bearing vein. However, as in all prehistoric mines, almost no finds were recovered. What may be a prehistoric settlement was identified at only 50 m from the mine face.

The excavations on the prehistoric mining site at Poggio Malinverno (Allumiere), on the Monti della Tolfa, are part of a research project run by the German Archaeological Institute, aimed at documenting Copper Age mining activities in central Italy. The site of Poggio Malinverno – where the remains of an 18th century mine for the extraction of galena are visible – was chosen following a survey undertaken in 2010, during which numerous stone mallets were recovered, evidence of prehistoric farming. The 2012 excavations confirmed the presence of mining activity when an outcrop of copper ore was discovered in the south-western part of the mining area. Excavations here identified various fills of ancient pits and trenches, of the type seen in prehistoric surface mines. A possible mining shaft was also recorded, with a fill of dark earth containing several fragments of brown impasto pottery pre-dating the proto-historic period. The 2013 excavations produced new dating evidence for the site. Proto-Villanovan and Etruscan burials came to light in the area where it is thought a settlement existed, at a distance of only about 50 m from the vein of ore. These remains are evidence for the existence of burials attributable to the Final Bronze Age (ca. 11th-10th and 6th cent. B.C.). The burials did not appear to have any direct relationship with the mining activity. As the Final Bronze Age tomb was found overlying the levels of dumped mining waste, it provides a Terminus_ _ante_ _quem_ for the mining activity. Although it is not possible to give a precise date for the stone mallets at the moment, they very probably pre-date the late Bronze Age.