The excavations at Piano della Civita di Artena (RM) were financed by Temple University and saw the participation of students from Temple University and volunteers from Artena and elsewhere. Cécile Brouillard (INRAP) and Jan Gadeyne (Temple University Rome) directed the excavations, assisted by Bénédicte Rombeau.

Excavation took place in the area immediately west of the villa, where research has been ongoing for several years and for the first time in the area east of the villa, where during excavation of the villa and the building in tufa traces of more rooms appeared.

In the western area (sectors 35, 43, 63-68), work continued on defining the chronological sequence of the various occupations. Particular attention was given to the presence in room 65 of two “vats”, one rectangular and one circular, already partially excavated in 2014. It is suggested that the two vats could have been in use at the same time, while after various transformations they were covered by an abandonment layer in which a bronze coin was found that provides a date of no later than the third quarter of the 6th century A.D.

Further north, excavation continued in rooms 67 and 68 in order to complete the plans of the structures that in the post-Classical period were built next to the villa and have been the object of investigation for several years. In room 67 am opus caementicium floor was discovered that was relatively well-preserved and covered the entire space. In room 68, there was a layer of collapsed tiles. One of the walls in this room did not follow the general alignment of this and the other structures.

The space 43 (partially excavated in 2000) is situated among these post-Classical structures, by the balneum. It was decided to clear the area that was covered by vegetation and partially blocked by the structure protecting the balneum itself in order to clarify the stratigraphic sequence. A sondage was opened to the west, which revealed a layer of burning, made up of a large number of tiles from a collapsed roof that had crushed at least two containers, one of which an amphora containing burnt vegetal remains. Below the room destroyed by fire there were other structures pre-dating the villa, which have yet to be precisely identified. In the post-Classical period, it seems that a wall belonging to this room was rebuilt for the construction of room 65.

Rooms 35, 64, and 65 are situated to the south. The aim here was to reach the occupation level that was contemporary with that of the villa. Four main phases were identified dating to between the 2nd-1st century B.C. (therefore pre-dating the villa’s construction, as the known evidence suggests) and the 4th-5th century A.D.

Excavation also took place on the other side of the villa, where sections of wall had been discovered at the time the villa itself was dug. Although preliminary, the results were important. Firstly, they show the heavy erosion of the structures, although it was possible to complete the plan of room 52, and in area 70 a semicircular “apse” was uncovered.