Populonia

Origins

Populonia, Etruscan Pupluna or Fufluna, stood on the Piombino promontory facing Elba. Villanovan settlements appeared there in the 9th century BCE, and by the 7th century princely tumulus tombs in the San Cerbone necropolis show a powerful elite. Ancient writers disagreed over whether it was founded by Corsicans or by Volaterrae.

Rule and society

Populonia's economy rested on metals: copper and tin from the Campigliese and, from the 6th century BCE, iron ore from Elba smelted in furnaces around the Gulf of Baratti, whose slag heaps later buried the tombs. It was among the first Etruscan cities to mint coins, in the 5th century BCE, often showing the smith god Sethlans or a Gorgon head, and its port linked Etruria to Corsica and Massalia.

Decline and legacy

Populonia became a Roman ally in the 3rd century BCE and in 205 BCE supplied iron for Scipio's fleet against Carthage. Sacked by Sulla during the civil wars of the 80s BCE, it declined; Strabo found it largely deserted. The slag heaps were mined again for iron in the 20th century, uncovering the necropolis.