Italian, British, and Canadian historians and classicists synthesize the recent findings about the area in Italy. The eight papers, one in Italian, discuss such topics as new archaeological and epigraphic evidence for settlement organization between Samnites and Lucanians, Samnium under the Roman Empire, Samnites at Cumae, horsemen and dioskourioi
Pese a la importancia que en el entorno natural de la Roma primitiva presentaron espacios como los humedales o el bosque, el imaginario romano no llegó a tenerlos en mucha consideración. A diferencia de este último, que en ocasiones quedó ligado a la idea del locus amoenus y en consecuencia apreciado, las zonas húmedas, y particularmente los pantanos, nunca fueron objeto de una favorable estimación, identificándose con la idea de espacios nocivos para la salud. No obstante no sólo fueron susceptibles de resultar explotados y aprovechados desde un punto de vista económico sino que incluso en ellos pudo darse el crecimiento de plantas con propiedades medicinales aportando paradójicamente en tal caso salubritas.
Reconstruction of paleo relative sea level (RSL) is based on multi-proxy disciplines including archaeology. Saltpans, like fish tanks which are considered a reliable method for acquiring RSL index points, are also anthropogenic intertidal facilities, used continuously in the Mediterranean from early antiquity. The Dalmatian shore contains a large number of preserved and historically dated ancient saltpans, now flooded by the rising sea, providing great potential for past RSL indication. The primary objective of this study is to develop a new holistic approach for producing high quality elevation measurements of the saltpan structures and estimating paleo RSL during the last 2 ka. The study combined aerial photogrammetry of the site, bathymetry acoustics scanning, and underwater archaeological survey of the man-made structures, as well as sampling wood and mortar in situ where available. Evaluation of each site’s RSL and the functional height is based on the same assumptions and interpretations made for fish tanks, using elevation measurements on the top of the separation walls and the bottom of the sluice gates. In all the sites analyzed here, we achieved reliable digital surface models with continuous high-resolution data on the indicative structures with single centimeters level of accuracy. The study finds that during the 5th - 6th centuries, RSL was −92 ± 25 cm, increased to −62 ± 21 cm during the 7th - 11th centuries, and decreased to −104 ± 20 cm in the 14th century. Medieval RSL can be explained either by strong tectonic subsidence post 1300 AD or by fluctuations as observed in the East Mediterranean, which requires validation by further Medieval indicators.
Le ricerche archeologiche nei siti della città romana di Salapia e dell’abitato medievale di Salpi, sulle sponde meridionali dell’antico Lago di Salpi (attuali Saline di Margherita di Savoia), si sono avviate nel 2014 e vedono la collaborazione del Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici dell’Università di Foggia, il Davidson College (USA) e il Department of History and Classical Studies della McGill University di Montréal (Canada). Quattro campagne di geofisica estensiva e sei campagne di scavo hanno riguardato sinora il sito del municipium romano di Salapia, la cui fondazione sarebbe da collocarsi alla fine del I secolo a.C. Le prospezioni geomagnetiche hanno permesso di individuare il tracciato della cinta muraria urbana, di riconoscere l’articolazione di insulae ed edifici, di delineare l’estensione del suburbio. L’indagine stratigrafica, invece, si è rivolta alla conoscenza di settori diversi del tessuto urbanistico. Per tutti i contesti è stato possibile determinare le fasi di primo impianto e di vita, protrattesi dal I secolo d.C. all’avanzato VI secolo d.C. A partire da questo periodo, sullo ‘scheletro’ della città romana si rimodulò un abitato a maglie larghe di capanne che sopravvisse nella piana prospiciente il Lago di Salpi sino al tardo VIII – inizi IX secolo. È difficile dire cosa accadde dopo. Ogni traccia del centro sembrerebbe perdersi sino agli inizi dell’XI secolo quando Salpi (non più Salapia) ritrovò visibilità documentaria, come civitas e diocesi. Ma in che modo e dove la civitas salpitana poté ricostituirsi? Per rispondere a queste domande, a partire dal 2017, le indagini si sono estese anche al cosiddetto Monte di Salpi, una modesta altura posizionata al centro del pianoro interessato dalla città romana, sulla cui sommità la cartografia storica localizza i resti di Salpi diruta. Questo contributo presenta i risultati delle ricerche archeologiche sinora condotte sul Monte e tenta di far luce sulla storia insediativa di Salpi dalla sua ‘rinascita’, dopo la scomparsa di Salapia, al suo abbandono nel corso del XVI secolo.
Il presente articolo intende illustrare i risultati preliminari delle ricerche archeologiche di superficie e geofisiche avviate nel 2013 sul sito della città romana, tardoantica e medievale di Salapia (Puglia settentrionale). Le indagini sono parte di un più ampio progetto di studio dei paesaggi storici di uno dei territori più complessi della Puglia settentrionale, ovvero la fascia costiera adriatica, in antico interessata dalla presenza del lago di Salpi. Nonostante le numerose testimonianze fornite dalle fonti letterarie, che attestano l’importanza di Salapia come porto e centro di riferimento per il popolamento di età romana e medievale del comprensorio in esame, il sito non è mai stato oggetto di ricerche sistematiche e organiche, utili per chiarire l’articolazione della città, le dinamiche di vita, il ruolo svolto nel quadro delle relazioni adriatiche.
“È compito estremamente difficile studiare oggi le religioni dell’Italia antica. A causa dell’enorme dispersione della documentazione, infatti, è spesso impossibile stabilire il contesto di provenienza di un’iscrizione o prendere in esame le testimonianze archeologiche legate ad un determinato culto. È questo il motivo che ci ha spinto a volere realizzare un Corpus di tutte le fonti antiche databili tra il VII sec. a.C. ed il VII sec. d.C., affinché gli studiosi possano accedere rapidamente all’insieme della documentazione e delle informazioni bibliografiche attualmente disponibili su questo argomento. Abbiamo adottato il taglio che ci sembrava fosse il più efficace: inventariare le fonti religiose classificandole in base ai luoghi di culto. Solo questo punto di vista, infatti, permette di ridonargli tutto il loro significato. Le religioni dell’Italia antica non possono essere considerate come delle suddivisioni locali di una religione universale, italica o romana; esse formano dei micro-sistemi omologhi ma autonomi. Bisogna dunque studiare le testimonianze sulla vita religiosa nel loro contesto geografico, istituzionale e sociale.” (F. Coarelli, J. Scheid)
The paper summarises some preliminary results obtained by a research team of the Istituto per le Tecnologie Applicate ai Beni Culturali of the Italian National Research Council (CNR-ITABC) in the archaeological area of Sabina Tiberina (Rieti). The study makes use of statistical methods and information technology with the goal of implementing a GIS of the above mentioned territory. The area investigated, falling within the counties of Magliano Sabina and Stimigliano, presents a wide chronological stratification dating from prehistory to the Roman age. The anthropological pre-existence considered show differences depending on settlements themselves which are always numerous in the various ages; in fact the proximity of the river (the Tiber) is the reason for their existence, allowing a cultural transmission besides the natural function of trade route. This paper is divided into two parts. In the first, all data concerning surveys carried out with the goal of finding and classifying the settlements of Roman age are included. In the second, some descriptive-documentary aspects gained through developing the GIS, together with statistical processing aimed at the creation of maps of data and settlements, are commented upon.
The S.I.R.A.X program was conceived in order to create organised and consultable archives of X-ray radiographs. In 2003 in fact, the Archaeological Superintendency of the Marches Region set up an X-ray camera and inaugurated an important project to catalogue the 3000 X-rays taken by the Archaeological Superintendency of Tuscany between 1970 and 2000. This is one of the most important X-ray archives in existence and the Restoration Laboratory of Ancona conceived the S.I.R.A.X. program in order to reorganise it along with the other X-rays which they had taken themselves. S.I.R.A.X. is organised along two main lines: the management form is for data entry activity and the creation of an identification card for a more detailed individual report; the consultation mode facilitates the information retrieval. The program presents a simple and immediate interface which is easy to use, not only by experts but also by people not usually involved in this kind of activity. In accordance with this plan, S.I.R.A.X. will be made available on the Internet as soon as possible.
The case study described in this paper, that is, the Roman small villa rustica of San Giovanni in the Gulf of Portoferraio (Elba Island, Tuscany), represents a local declination of the type of buildings commonly defined as ‘Cato’s villa’. This research has stimulated a reflection on the type of agriculture described by Cato and the experiences that formed the practical basis for writing this text. In the project at Elba Island we are trying to aggregate historical, archaeological, archaeometric and bioarchaeological researches. Following this approach, one seeks to reconstruct the historical period of the villa's landscape that follows the traditional Cato’s model and precedes for at least half a century the villa perfecta of Varrone.
The aim of this paper is the implementation of a methodological workflow for the diagnosis of masonry settlings, within the HBIM approach, developing a rule-based logical inference tool in Visual Programming Language. The rule-based inferencing diagnosis is a guided process, which increases the confidence factor about settlings and actual causes, on the basis of surveyors’ technical insights and evidences. The final step is the suggestion of appropriate interventions. The results show that inference logic is directly applicable to the diagnosis problem; their efficacy depends on i) the structured parametric and data modelling of decay patterns in the HBIM model and ii) the knowledge base training. The application has been validated on a case study, Masseria Don Cataldo (Bari, South Italy).
Modern 3D modeling techniques (e.g. laser scanning and photogrammetry) make it possible to create accurate, realistic and measurable digital 3D models of cities, buildings, terrains, artifacts and archaeological sites. The model of the Church of San Martino was created not only for the visualization but, in particular, for the study of the 3D application in archaeology and the comparison of the information provided by these techniques with data obtained by traditional techniques. The digital model of the church was created using a time of flight laser scanner. Besides this, HDR pictures were taken with a Kodak DCS ProSRL/n digital camera for the texturing of the 3D model and photo-realistic visualization. The 3D building was georeferenced using GPS data for the correct insertion into the surrounding Digital Elevation Model (DEM). Some operations in the lab (range data alignment, editing, mesh generation, geometric simplification and texture mapping) transformed the 3D data points into a complete 3D model (300 working hours). Precise measurements of distances, surfaces, thicknesses and volumes of the structures or architectural elements were performed. Particular elements were also recognized and emphasized thanks to the creation of the 3D model. These elements were inserted into a database according to their characteristics and this led to the generation of several 3D thematic maps (i.e. building phase maps or litho-topes). The integration of the digital model of the church into the DEM could be used for the clarification and understanding of settlement trends and territorial organization in the past.
RTI is a powerful technique for recording, interpreting, and disseminating rock art. RTI enhances the perception of the micro-topography of the rock surface and it is particularly helpful for the study of engraved art. Subtle details, such as the traces left by different engraving techniques, the outlines of motifs or superimpositions are more clearly revealed through RTI's interactive re-light and enhancement tools. This paper describes the application of RTI for the re-examination of two Iberian south-western stelae, Setefilla and Almadén de la Plata 2, whose preserved decoration is engraved. Previous studies focused on the iconographic analysis of motifs and employed methods of examination and recording that posed limitations. Based on the more robust data provided by RTI and supported by RTI's tools for surface interpretation, we provide a new analysis of the decorated surfaces of both stelae, including insights into their manufacturing techniques and later modification.
I sette saggi che compongono il volume sono dedicati alla storia e alla topografia del territorio rovianese e ai suoi tesori culturali antichi e medievali: il ponte Scutonico, il palazzo Brancaccio, sede del Museo della Civiltà Contadina Valle dell’Aniene, la chiesetta di S. Maria dell’Olivo. Completano il mosaico multidisciplinare, due contributi che riguardano rispettivamente il progetto che ha portato alla realizzazione del percorso archeologico-naturalistico, articolato lungo l’antica via Valeria, nonché le specificità idrogeologiche, botaniche e faunistiche dell’habitat naturale. Scientifico nell’impostazione e nel rigore dei contenuti il libro, destinato a un pubblico ampio ed eterogeneo, è corredato da una vasta documentazione fotografica e iconografica.
The period of Rome's imperial expansion, the late Republic and early Empire, saw transformations of its society, culture and identity. Drawing equally on archaeological and literary evidence, this book offers an original and provocative interpretation of these changes. Moving from recent debates about colonialism and cultural identity, both in the Roman world and more broadly, and challenging the traditional picture of 'Romanization' and 'Hellenization', it offers instead a model of overlapping cultural identities in dialogue with one another. It attributes a central role to cultural change in the process of redefinition of Roman identity, represented politically by the crisis of the Republican system and the establishment of the new Augustan order. Whether or not it is right to see these changes as 'revolutionary', they involve a profound transformation of Roman life and identity, one that lies at the heart of understanding the nature of the Roman Empire.
The NE slopes of the Palatine hill and the Colosseum valley area have a long archaeological research history. Here the continuous urban development has produced the overlap of architectural complexes distributed over time. The huge amount of archaeological documents produced by the research is managed within a GIS environment. For the analysis of ancient walls we introduced the use of image-based-modelling photogrammetry in order to create a very detailed 3D documentation linked to a DBMS dedicated to ancient structural features. Through this methodology we can evaluate specific aspects of ancient construction yards for each period. We can also refine the chronological sequences of the architectural structures and verify the contextual relationships of the surrounding buildings in order to formulate wide-ranging reconstructive hypotheses.
Rome, Ostia, Pompeii: Movement and Space demonstrates how studies of the Roman city are shifting focus from static architecture to activities and motion within urban spaces. This volume provides detailed case studies from the three best-known cities from Roman Italy, revealing how movement contributes to our understanding of the ways different elements of society interacted in space, and how the movement of people and materials shaped urban development.The chapters in this book examine the impressions left by the movement of people and vehicles as indentations in the archaeological and historical record, and as impressions upon the Roman urban consciousness. Through a broad range of historical issues, this volume studies movement as it is found at the city gate, in public squares and on the street, and as it is represented in texts. Its broad objective is to make movement meaningful for understanding the economic, cultural, political, religious, and infrastructural behaviours that produced different types and rhythms of interaction in the Roman city.This volume's interdisciplinary approach will inform the understanding of the city in classics, ancient history, archaeology and architectural history, as well as cultural studies, town planning, urban geography, and sociology.
From 1997 to 2007 an international effort involving research groups both in US and Italy, developed a virtual model of ancient Rome, as it appeared in 320 AD. The primary purpose of the project was to visually present theories and hypotheses about how the capital of the Roman Empire appeared at the peak of its development. The model is therefore a representation of the state of our knowledge (or lack of it) about the urban topography of ancient Rome.
This study analyses the types and use contexts of ceramic roof tiles in the eastern part of the Roman Empire. Despite ceramic roof tiles being one of the most frequent finds from archaeological excavations and surveys of this period from the Mediterranean area, they have not received much interest in research. In particular, the study of plain, undecorated, or unstamped tiles has been extremely limited considering the volume of material found. This study looks at roof tile assemblages from three different excavations across the eastern Mediterranean from northern Greece and from the environs of Petra in Jordan. Based on this body of material, and collecting comparative evidence from published research, the study builds a picture of the types of roof tiles used in the area during the Roman period. By doing this, it addresses a sizable gap in our knowledge on the typological development and regional distribution of roof tile types in the study area. Chronologically, the research covers a period from the 1st to the 5th centuries CE, coinciding with the Roman dominance in the area. Spatially, it reaches from Roman Greece to the Roman Near East. In this study, methods typically applied in the study of plain pottery have been adapted to this material, namely the study of forms (typology) and the study of fabrics (compositional analysis). Typology is used as the key explanatory tool for the material. In addition, the study uses x-ray fluorescence (microXRF) to analyse the composition of the tile fabrics from one of the assemblages, in order to study the particulars of the production process.The results shed new light on the practice of roof tiling in the eastern part of the Mediterranean, on regional types and variations of tile types in the Roman period, and on societal aspects related to tile production and use. Despite the conservatism apparent in the general forms, the study recognizes potential typological traits in the Roman-period tile types. Moreover, it highlights the regional variation present in this seemingly uniform material. The study confirms that the tile types used in this area are derivatives of earlier eastern types, rather than emulations of Roman types, and an adherence to the use of the specific combinations of pan and cover tiles that originally defined the early Greek tile systems (Laconian, Corinthian, and hybrid) continues throughout the period under study.The data underlying the research does not currently allow for the development of full regional typologies, but a preliminary hypothesis is formed about the tile regions in the study area for the Roman period. Three separate macro regions are identified, based on the types of tile used, corresponding roughly to Roman Greece, Roman Asia Minor, and the Roman Near East. In addition to defining tile regions and types, the study reveals a large variation in the use contexts of roof tiles in this area during the Roman period, which is reflected in the presence and frequency of tiles in the archaeological landscape. In summary, while frequent in the Greek archaeological record of the Roman period, ceramic tile has a very low to minimal penetration into the Roman-period countryside of the Near East, in particular in southern Levant. In this area, tile use contexts are limited to public urban and grander domestic architecture. The results clearly indicate that with improved documentation of tile assemblages, valuable new data would become available for archaeological research in this area.
The problem of Roman windows and their furnishings has never been studied seriously in this country as so little evidence is usually forthcoming. Window glass is found in fair quantities on most sites and, where the pieces are large enough to indicate size, they would appear to be no more than g to 12 in. square, but there is little indication of how they were fastened into the window. Such technical details have unfortunately escaped attention in those countries where sufficient remains have been found to attempt reconstruction. While R. Herbig has discussed windows generally: the most detailed treatment has been that by Vittorio Spinazzola in his survey of the excavations of Via dell’ Abbondanza at Pompeii. As he indicates, while houses were only of one story, the window openings tended to be very small slits but, as soon as an upper floor was built, more light could be obtained without sacrificing safety or privacy. Once the advantages of this became apparent, new and larger windows were inserted on the ground floor, architectural ingenuity being displayed in directing the light to particular parts of a room where it was needed. He touches upon the question of the infilling without adding much detail. Some of the smaller windows appear to have been openings in the wall with wooden, sliding shutters on the inside. The larger ones were filled with iron gratings in a form of a simple grille which has been reconstructed as horizontal flat bars, through which round vertical bars passed, a piece of construction which seems to be unnecessarily difficult. A grille, merely of crossbars, has also been found at Herculaneum.
This volume, which was awarded Honorable Mention and a Silver Medal from the Premio Romanistico Internationazionale Gérard Boulvert, investigates the socio-economic role of elite villas in Roman Central Italy drawing on both documentary sources and material evidence. Through the composite picture emerging from the juxtaposition of literary texts and archaeological evidence, the book traces elite ideological attitudes and economic behavior, caught between what was morally acceptable and the desire to invest capital intelligently. The analysis of the biases affecting the application of modern historiographical models to the interpretation of the archaeology frames the discussion on the identification of slave quarters in villas and the putative second century crisis of the Italian economy. The book brings an innovative perspective to the debate on the villa-system and the decline of villas in the imperial period.
This book is a definitive architectural study of Roman theatre architecture. In nine chapters it brings together a massive amount of archaeological, literary, and epigraphic information under one cover. It also contains a full catalogue of all known Roman theatres, including a number of odea (concert halls) and bouleuteria (council chambers) which are relevant to the architectural discussion, about 1,000 entries in all. Inscriptional or literary evidence relating to each theatre is listed and there is an up-to-date bibliography for each building. Most importantly the book contains plans of over 500 theatres or buildings of theatrical type, as well as numerous text figures and nearly 200 figures and plates.
In this fully revised and updated edition of Roman Pompeii, Dr. Laurence looks at the latest archaeological and literary evidence relating to the city of Pompeii from the viewpoint of architect, geographer and social scientist. Enhancing our general understanding of the Roman world, this new edition includes new chapters that reveal how the young learnt the culture of the city and to investigate the role of property development and real estate in Pompeii’s growth. Showing how Pompeii has undergone considerable urban development, Dr. Laurence emphasizes the relationship between the fabric of the city and the society that produced it. Local activities are located in both time and space and Pompeii’s cultural identity is defined. This book is invaluable for students and scholars in the fields of archaeology and ancient history, as well as being rewarding reading for the many people who visit Pompeii.
The Roman colony of Savaria was the first founded town in Pannonia (Colonia Claudia Savaria). Some inscriptions attest the so-called ‘deductio’, the settlement of veterans. After the first reconstruction of the centuriatio of Savaria no substantial archaeological attempt has been made in the last 40 years to verify the theory. In the last decade, research into the existence of the Savarian centuriatio has been pursued by using GIS methods, thanks to which we have managed to build a predictive model-network for the centuriatio, which is completely different from the previous reconstructions. The model has been continuously refined and validated by archaeological fieldwork and geophysical survey. The new reconstruction has led to new possibilities for interpreting the sites excavated in recent decades and the previously known Roman roads and aqueducts. Another interesting relationship between the watercourses running through the former colonia and the Roman centuriatio was also detected: the impact of Roman agriculture on the landscape transformation that has survived to the present day. Our pilot project, launched this year, plans to verify these effects using multispectral UAV surveys and geophysical measurements to show whether there were former streams along the presumed Roman channels that could provide evidence to support this hypothesis.
