Recent archaeological investigations have been conducted by the Superintendency of Basilicata and the University of Basilicata. There is evidence of settlements from the Bronze Age and early Iron Age, as well as archaic levels and the agricultural village of Pandosìa from the 4th and 3rd centuries BC, followed by a possible reduction in settlement during the second and first centuries BC. The last major phase of Anglona is associated with the establishment of a substantial settlement, inhabited during the central centuries of the Middle Ages and abandoned around the 15th to 16th century AD. The most remarkable evidence relates to the medieval cathedral complex, which includes the church itself and its annexes, the remains of a contemporary fortress, a watchtower with an underlying cistern connected to a defensive wall circuit, and a large service building. The catholicon of Santa Maria d’Anglona was in its initial phase a three-aisled roman basilica with three apses in the east. Its interior was adorned with wall paintings, of which only fragments survive. The frescoes are dated to between the end of the 12th and the first decade of the 13th century and display a strong influence from the late Komnenian period. Anglona’s strategic location made it a key hub for the circulation of goods, including ceramics. Among the recovered assemblages, acroma wares dominate, while glazed types—mainly green and yellow monochrome—suggest regional production. Fragments with glaze waste point to a local workshop. Decorated wares (RMR and protomaiolica) indicate exchanges with Apulian, Calabrian, and later Sicilian centers. Along the external walls of the apse and transept of the church of Santa Maria d’Anglona, numerous square and rectangular brick tiles decorated in relief with plant and animal motifs can still be seen. Typical of Romanesque art, they fulfilled both ornamental and allegorical functions, conveying messages and meanings linked to the religious sphere.
The settlement of Anglona (Basilicata – IT) is located on top of a hill bordered on the northern and southern sides by the two rivers Agri and Sinni. It is a natural acropolis in a strategic position for controlling the surrounding river corridors, the main roads and, therefore, also the trade between the Ionian coast…
The last major phase of occupation on the hill of Anglona is associated with the establishment of a substantial settlement, inhabited during the central centuries of the Middle Ages and later abandoned around the 15th–16th century AD. The most remarkable evidence relates to the medieval cathedral complex, which includes the imposing church itself and its…
The catholicon of Santa Maria d’Anglona was in its initial phase a three aisled roman basilica with three apses in the east. Wall paintings adorned the interior, from which only parts of the central nave, the south wall and the lateral apses are conserved, due to modifications in the eastern part and in the widening…