Archaeological Site
The early Medieval Village
The Early Middle Ages and the mystery of the Lombard King Agilulfo's ring
The remains of the late antiquity villa are not far away ... but what happened during the period between the fall of the villa and the construction of the Church around the year 1000? We are at the end of the Late Roman period, and the beginning of the Early Middle Ages. Palazzo Pignano was the administrative centre for the Insula Fulcheria, an area that belonged to the Lombard kings and was recorded in documents until the 13th century. Little is known about this period between the years 500 and 1000, but we can propose a theory.
Archaeologists are unable to establish exactly when the round Church was destroyed, but it might still have been in use at the beginning of the Early Middle Ages. In actual fact, tombs and large roof tiles from this period have been found between the round Church and the foundations of the Pieve.
A few Lombard tombs were randomly found, together with a gold ring with the name ARICHIS inscribed on it. This was used as the seal by official representatives of the Lombard kings. The portrait of the Lombard king Agilulfo can be seen on the ring. He was the king responsible for destroying the city of Cremona in 603 and wrenching it away from Byzantine rule. The historian Terni records the story of Agilulfo who was a guest during July of that year at the Palazzo Pignano, hosted by Cremete, a nobleman from Crema, while his army was marching towards Cremona ...
Photogallery
