La campagna di scavo dell’anno 2000 è frutto di un progetto scientifico per la conoscenza e la valorizzazione del patrimonio archeologico della città romana di Tifernum Mataurense (odierna Sant’Angelo in Vado), avviato in collaborazione tra la Soprintendenza Archeologica delle Marche, l’Università di Macerata, il Comune di Sant’Angelo in Vado e la provincia di Pesaro e Urbino. In questa prima campagna di scavo sono stati realizzati due vasti saggi - denominati “Saggio Fosse” e Saggio strada” - mirati rispettivamente alla verifica archeologica di numerose macchie scure, circolari ma di piccola dimensione, visibili in superficie nell’area suburbana a nord-est dell’abitato antico, e alla presenza di un ipotetico tracciato stradale extraurbano con andamento est-ovest. Il Saggio Fosse ha evidenziato l’esistenza di almeno tre fasi successive, molto disturbate, rispettivamente di età antica, post-antica e moderna. Nella fase antica, databile alla prima età imperiale, si colloca la realizzazione di un pozzetto circolare per la probabile deposizione di un’urna cineraria, mentre le altre numerose cavità risalgono ad età post-antica e moderna e sono attribuibili a fosse per la piantagione di alberi o per la sepoltura di animali. Il Saggio Strada ha permesso di distinguere tre grandi fasi di frequentazione dell’area: una fase antica, con la realizzazione del percorso stradale di collegamento tra Tifernum Mataurense e l’importante asse viario della Flaminia; una seconda fase, databile in età post-antica, con la completa asportazione del basolato e della massicciata stradale; infine una fase moderna, con la realizzazione di profonde trincee parallele per la piantagione di filari di viti. Nel corso dello scavo sono stati recuperati materiali di natura diversa, sia antichi (frammenti di ceramica a vernice nera, di terra sigillata italica, a pareti sottili, comune acroma, laterizi, vetri, metalli, monete), sia moderni (reperti di ceramica invetriata, maiolica, vetri, ossa). Al termine dello scavo i saggi sono stati opportunamente documentati e rinterrati. Lo scavo tifernate riveste inoltre un significato didattico, in quanto permette a numerosi studenti del Corso di laurea in Beni Archeologici della Facoltà di Lettere e Filosofia, di apprendere la tecnica dello scavo archeologico mediante tirocinio pratico guidato.

La campagna di scavo del 2001 è stata finalizzata alla verifica archeologica di una situazione topografica interna all’area urbana della città antica, alla ricerca di un probabile punto di incrocio viario tra il prolungamento di un tratto di decumano già scoperto nell’area dell’ex Campo della Pieve e un supposto cardine sottostante al moderno tracciato di Via delle Ghibelline. Nell’area antistante il casolare del Colombaro è stato aperto un saggio rettangolare di m.8 per 6 circa, denominato “Saggio di via Ghibelline”. Una lettura preliminare dello scavo ha permesso di distinguere tre grandi fasi di vita dell’area: - una fase antica, collocabile cronologicamente nel I secolo d.C., attinente alla costruzione di una via basolata con orientamento nord-sud, ovvero un decumano urbano, dotato di un grande collettore fognario realizzato in opus vittatum con pareti di blocchetti di arenaria e fondo di tegoloni in cotto; - successivamente, una seconda fase databile in età medio-imperiale, durante la quale sembra essere stato praticato un grosso intervento sull’asse viario, conseguente ad una trasformazione urbanistica o all’intasamento della rete fognaria sottostante. L’intervento principale è consistito nella interruzione del condotto fognante, che in origine scorreva sotto il cardine viario e nella sua deviazione di 90° verso est, convogliandolo in quello del vicino decumano. I materiali rinvenuti nel riempimento comprendono frammenti di ceramica comune verniciata e acroma, attribuibili a forme diffuse tra il II e IV sec. d.C. - una lunga ed articolata terza fase post-antica, medioevale e moderna, in cui il decumano ha subito interventi di parziale spoliazione del basolato stradale antico. L’attuale via delle Ghibelline, nonostante i numerosi interventi di rifacimento ed innalzamento del livello stradale, nonché di trincee per la posa di tubature idriche e condotte elettriche, ha ricalcato fedelmente il tracciato antico, continuando a svolgere la sua funzione di asse viario extraurbano di collegamento con la valle del torrente Morsina e il Tifernum Tiberinum (Città di Castello). Al termine della campagna di scavo 2001 l’intero saggio è stato opportunamente documentato e momentaneamente rinterrato per ripristinare il transito veicolare lungo via delle Ghibelline, con il proposito di completare l’indagine con un’ulteriore campagna di scavo.

La campagna di scavo del 2002 è stata finalizzata al completamento del “Saggio di via delle Ghibelline”, iniziato nel corso dell’anno precedente e non ancora ultimato. L’area del saggio effettuato nel 2001 è stata ampliata verso nord (350 x 300), per acquisire nuovi dati archeologici e per raggiungere nella parte più orientale il terreno vergine. Lo scavo ha restituito nuovi basoli del lastricato stradale del cardine, nonché i resti di un tratto porticato che costeggiava il lato orientale della via. Per il resto l’ampliamento del saggio di scavo ha confermato la successione di tre grandi fasi di vita, quali erano emerse dai dati archeologici acquisisti nella campagna di scavo dell’anno precedente, contribuendo a chiarire meglio la fase di vita della struttura viaria e del relativo tratto di condotto fognario. Nel periodo tardo-antico si colloca l'abbandono della rete fognaria, segnato dal crollo delle lastre di copertura e dalla spoliazione della spalletta. I materiali archeologici rinvenuti nel riempimento della canaletta, tra cui frammenti di sigillata medio-adriatica, di ceramica comune verniciata e acroma, in forme diffuse tra la fine del II ed il IV sec.d.C, come pure alcune monete, comprese in un arco cronologico che va dalla seconda metà del III alla metà del IV secolo d.C., segnano il limite estremo di questo periodo di abbandono. Lo scavo tifernate ha inoltre rivestito un alto significato didattico, in quanto ha permesso a numerosi studenti del Corso di laurea in Beni Archeologici della Facoltà di Lettere e Filosofia di apprendere la tecnica dello scavo archeologico.

This was the first campaign of the project to reopen excavations on the bath structures at _Tifernum Mataurense_, already partially uncovered by the Archaeological Superintendency of the Marche in 1957 and back filled at the end of the 1960s. The project involves the Superintendency, the University of Macerata, and the administrations of the town of Sant’Angelo In Vado and the province of Peasaro and Urbino and aims to excavate the substantial remains of the ancient baths and produce a publication integrating old and new excavations. This project will run in parallel with the Superintendency’s excavation of an urban domus with rich mosaic floors. The excavation area is situated in the locality of Colombaro di sant’Angelo in Vado, within a private property. It is delimited by the Donnini property and via Mancini to the north, by the medieval wall on via delle Ghibelline to the east, the Fabretti property to the south and a stretch of paved Roman road to the west. The preliminary intervention involved clearing the site of trees and the mechanical removal of the top soil over an area of 22 m2. A substantial layer of dumped earth was also removed. At the same time, part of the 2003 campaign investigated the Roman road, discovered at the end of the 1950s and left exposed until the present day. On a north-south alignment, it was a large urban road (6.5 m wide excluding the sidewalks) with a lateral drain, completely paved in basalt and flanked by raised kerbs (_crepidines_ ). Judging by its position in the direction of the forum, its dimensions, and the fact that there were no signs of wear from the passage of carts, the road can probably be interpreted as the town’s _cardus maximus_. Given the necessity of investigating its composition and structural phases, a stretch of the drain was emptied and three small trenches were opened (A, B, C) along the road’s central axis, where a deep modern vine trench had cut the basalt paving. Natural was not reached in any of them. During the excavations both ancient and modern archaeological material was found (flints, black gloss, Italian sigillata, thin-walled ware, glazed and majolica pottery). Several coins were also found, including a denarius of Antoninus. The investigation was run as a training excavation for the archaeology students of Macerata University.

The 2004 excavations continued with the project begun in 2003, a collaboration involving the Archaeological Superintendency of the Marche, the University of Macerata, and the administrations of the town of Sant’Angelo In Vado and the province of Peasaro and Urbino. Using archive plans and photographs, the excavation followed the edge of the 1957-59 excavations, the western section of the bath building, uncovering a vast section of the west wall of a large heated room with hypocaust and the opening of a large central well. Excavation halted at the level of the make up for the hypocaust floor. At the same time as work continued in the bath building, a deep trench, 13 m long and 1.40 m wide (Trench north cardo) was dug which followed the road drain below the garden of the Amadio property. Following the mechanical removal of the top soil, the excavation identified four phases dating to the antique, late-antique, post-antique and modern periods. The original construction of the road was dated to the early imperial period. At the end of the season, the trench was back filled. During the excavations both ancient and modern archaeological material was found (flints, black gloss, Italian sigillata, thin-walled ware, glazed and majolica pottery). The investigation was run as a training excavation for the archaeology students of Macerata University.

The 2005 excavations continued with the project begun in 2003, a collaboration involving the Archaeological Superintendency of the Marche, the University of Macerata, and the administrations of the town of Sant’Angelo In Vado and the province of Peasaro and Urbino. The main aim was to empty the well in the bath building, a dry-stone construction of cobblestones and stone chippings placed head-on and side-on, the inner diameter being 180 cm at the head. A substantial quantity of dumped earth was removed and, for safety reasons and so as not to compromise the structure’s stability, excavation stopped at 2.50 m below the level of the hypocaust floor. Work continued in trenches A, B and C along the cardo west of the baths. In trench A, the excavation reached a depth of 130 cm below ground level, stopping in correspondence with a compact, uniform layer of earth, mainly formed by yellowish-grey river sand. The pottery from the deep layers in the trench dated to between the 2nd and 1st century B.C. In trench B, a depth of 111 cm was reached where a layer of river gravel mixed with medium to small flat and round cobblestones was intercepted. Trench C, was enlarged and went down to a depth of 74 cm. A channel was exposed, coming from the bath building and cutting the road east to west in the direction of the road drain. The stratigraphy and archaeological finds dated the channel to the mid to late imperial period and therefore post-dating the construction of the road. During the excavations, both ancient and modern archaeological material was found (flints, black gloss, Italian sigillata, thin-walled ware, glazed and majolica pottery). The investigation was run as a training excavation for the archaeology students of Macerata University.

The campaign took place between the 3-29 July 2006 and aimed to continue rediscovery of the Roman baths, partially excavated by the Archaeological Superintendency of the Marche in 1957-59 and then backfilled in order to protect the remains. The investigation aimed to uncover the ancient baths that were partially excavated by the Archaeological Superintendency of the Marche in 1957 and than backfilled in the 1960s. Two interventions were carried out on the area, situated in the locality of Colombaro on the Graziani-Pinzauti property between via Ghibelline and via Mancini. The first was the stratigraphical excavation of ‘baulk A’ that had not been touched by the 1957-59 excavations, with the aim of documenting the ancient occupation and abandonment levels. The investigation revealed that the antique levels had been heavily disturbed in the medieval period. The second intervention involved the extension towards the east of the excavation limit along the northern edge of ‘baulk B’, from which a substantial dump of material was removed. This uncovered structures relating to rooms in the bath complex that had been partially obliterated by the construction of a modern workshop, ample sections of the hypocaust with part of the _suspensurae_ still in situ, remains of an _opus signinum_ floor with a small patch of bi-chrome mosaic. At the same time as the excavation partial conservation work was undertaken on the most damaged walls, in particular the final stretch of the western wall of the baths facing onto the paved road. The intervention was limited to the consolidation and partial reparation of the tops of the walls, undertaken under the direction of Macerata University and the technical advice of the Archaeological Superintendency of the Marche, respecting the relationships between the various walls and with the reuse of ancient stone and brick.

This campaign aimed to extend the excavation of the large heated room to the north and east, along the edge of the Donnini property, as far as the mouth of the _praefurnium_. At the same time, the edges of the baulk from the 1957-59 excavations were defined. A vast area of the hypocaust was exposed, revealing the remains of the small tile pillars ( _supensurae_) and large patches of the floor above. Excavations continued in trenches A and B with the demolition of the baulk dividing the two in order to check a number of stratigraphic anomalies. Work was undertaken by the Superintendency on consolidating the walls of the bath building. During the excavations both ancient and modern archaeological material was found (flints, black gloss, Italian sigillata, thin-walled ware, glazed and majolica pottery). The investigation was run as a training excavation for the archaeology students of Macerata University.

La campagna di scavo del 2008 è stata finalizzata alla prosecuzione della riscoperta delle antiche terme romane, parzialmente scavate dalla Soprintendenza Archeologica delle Marche nel 1957-59 e ricoperte negli anni ’60 per motivi di tutela. L’intervento realizzato nel mese di luglio ha riguardato l’estensione del fronte di scavo degli ambienti centrali delle terme romane verso Est con rimozione di un consistente strato di interro. Lo scavo, oltre a definire la parte orientale degli ambienti riscaldati, di cui restano ampi tratti della sottopavimentazione dell’ipocausto e delle suspensurae, ha intrapreso la rimessa in luce di due ambienti non riscaldati adiacenti, uno dei quali conserva ancora un ampio mosaico bianco con fascia perimetrale nera, mentre un altro ambiente, il cui scavo non è stato completato, reca un pavimento musivo, policromo, con figurazioni riferibili ad un thiasos marino, nel quale si riconoscono tritoni, polipi e ippocampi tra onde marine. L’ambiente pavimentato a mosaico è di notevoli dimensioni ed occupa una posizione intermedia tra gli ambienti caldi e quelli freddi. Le figure sono immerse in un ambiente marino, rappresentato da stilizzate onde parallele e fondali rocciosi. I corpi degli esseri marini sono resi con scarso realismo e senso prospettico, contornati da file di grosse tessere e campite con file tessere a basso contrasto policromo. Per la realizzazione delle tessere sono state utilizzate lastrine di calcari naturali con colori di quattro tonalità: bianco, rosa, grigio e verde. Il precario stato di conservazione del mosaico figurato ha richiesto un immediato intervento di consolidamento in situ mediante cordonatura e velatura dei lembi superstiti, effettuato per mano di tecnici e restauratori dell’Università di Macerata, sotto la direzione della Soprintendenza Archeologica per le Marche. Nel corso dello scavo sono stati recuperati materiali di natura diversa, sia antichi (frammenti di ceramica a vernice nera, di terra sigillata italica, a pareti sottili, comune acroma), sia moderni (reperti di ceramica invetriata, maiolica, vetri). Notevole è la quantità di tessere di mosaico libere, di dimensioni piuttosto grandi e fattura poco curata, negli strati a contatto delle pavimentazioni originarie e nelle fosse di spoliazione e distruzione delle strutture antiche. Da notare la presenza di alcune monete di età repubblicana ed imperiale, tra cui un asse in bronzo con prora di nave (n. inv. 329) e una moneta di Valentiniano I o di Valente (n. inv. 337).

Excavation of the baths concentrated on an area in the south-eastern corner, including an extension to the east abutting the medieval wall in via Ghibelline and to the south. The extension to the east included a 3.15 x 11.86 m strip of terrain on a north-south alignment and that on the south front was 3.68 x circa 10.19 m. A layer of dumped earth was removed from the area down to 0.64 m below ground level. The eastern perimeter of the cold room, with a marine procession ( _thiasos_ ) mosaic, was reached. The southward extension revealed the presence of an adjacent, smaller room, its walls faced with a thick layer of _opus signinum_, completely filled with collapsed rubble, among which where several sandstone architectural elements. Work continued on the consolidation of the west walls of the bath building. Among the archaeological material recovered, both sporadically and from within the contexts, there was a silver denarius that had been cut in half. The obverse shows Roma Galatea and the reverse the Dioscuri on horseback. The coin dates to between the end of the 2nd century and the first half of the 1st century B.C.

Work continued in the south-eastern corner of the bath building, including an extension along the south front of circa 10 x 8 m. The excavation, to be completed, reached a maximum death of 100 cm below ground level. The outlines of two parallel tanks were identified, the walls in _opus vittatum mixtum_ with an internal facing of a thick layer of _opus signinum_. The fill, unexcavated, comprised various types of stone material. Work also continued on the excavation of the well inside the heated room, going down to a depth of 530 cm below the floor of the room, at which depth the water table was intercepted, causing excavation to halt. The very mixed fill comprised earth, sandstone blocks and small and large cobblestones. The ancient material present included lumps of opus signinum, fragments of _tegulae_, imbrices, brick, tiles from the _suspensurae_, mosaic tesserae, which had slipped down from the hypocaust above. Modern material was also present (pottery, metal, plastic, brick and bone). The structural and archaeological data suggests the well was a medieval or modern construction. Work to consolidate the walls continued together with interventions to protect the edges of the two main sections of mosaic floor preserved in situ, prior to their conservation and consolidation.

With the exception of a small extension to the excavation in the southern part of the bath building, this season was dedicated to the project to roof the central area of the baths of Tifernum Mataurense, and open the area to the public. Construction of the roof to protect the mosaics provided the occasion for four small (80 x 80 cm) trenches to be dug, A (to the SW), B (to the NW), C (to the NE), and D (to the SE). In trenches A and B natural was reached at 225 cm below ground level, above which was a sequence of occupation layers dating from the ancient to modern phases. In trenches C and D, the nature of the archaeological remains impeded the continuation of the excavation. All trenches produced interesting data for the phases of the baths and surrounding area showing that the earliest phase dated to the mid to late Republican period. Work continued throughout the year on the cleaning, restoration and conservation, in situ of the mosaic showing the marine procession.

This was the 13th excavation season on the Roman baths of _Tifernum Matauremse_, situated in the locality of Colombaro at Sant’Angelo in Vado (PU). The complex was partially excavated by the Archaeological Superintendency of the Marche in 1957-1959 and backfilled a few years later. The University of Macerata began new excavations in 2003. This season’s aim was to continue the investigations carried out in 2010-11 in a sector (c. 10 x 8 m) that was not excavated by the Superintendency in the 1950s. The area is in the south-east corner of the baths, south of the already known room decorated with a marine _thiasos_. The removal of the complex and multi-layered modern phase revealed important but heavily damaged remains (walls, _suspensurae_, floors) of a large room heated with a _hypocaust_, still partially buried. It was situated close to two parallel pools that were found during a previous season. The excavation data suggested three distinct occupation phases, datable to between the end of the late Republican and middle imperial periods. An intervention was undertaken to stabilize and conserve the _opus signinum_ facing and the walls of the two pools, and the badly flaked columns reused inside the west pool. The restoration work was carried out by technicians from the Superintendency. The excavation also functioned as a field school as part of the students coursework: excavation methodology, graphic and photographic documentation, conservation and management of archaeological heritage, on site safety.

Le operazioni hanno teso ad approfondire due quadranti contigui (I e II) della ‘Area Sud Terme’. Nel quadrante I, limitrofo al già noto vano pavimentato in opera musiva con scena marina, sono state svuotate le due vasche, tra loro attigue, nell’angolo Nord-orientale del quadrato di scavo. Quella occidentale risulta colmata intenzionalmente da grandi blocchi calcarei, parti di colonna in pietra arenaria e compattati livelli di riempimento di terra con frammisti lembi di intonaco; tale sistema di obliterazione potrebbe essere funzionale alla posa in opera del piano pavimentale superiore, forse realizzato nel medio Impero. All’interno del secondo bacino è stata riconosciuto un crollo interessato da due piccole fosse, che si presume associate al rinvenimento di resti osteologici umani, qui rinvenuti in giacitura secondaria; tra i materiali raccolti alcuni frammenti di maiolica rinascimentale. A Sud delle due vasche è stato scoperto un ambiente riscaldato a hypocaustum. Questo, portato alla luce finora soltanto nel settore centrale dell’area di scavo, presenta un fondo in compatto cocciopesto con incisa una griglia di linee-guida tra loro equidistanti e ortogonali, tracciate per una corretta posa in opera delle suspensurae. All’incrocio delle linee si conservano due colonnette _in situ_ e quattordici impronte di altre simili non pervenute. Non esistono ancora prove certe sulla datazione dell’impianto, che potrebbe tuttavia essere ricondotto a più fasi costruttive, dal primo al medio Impero. Ben documentata la fase successiva di crollo con suspensurae demolite, tegole, cocciopesto sfaldato o ridotto a grossi nuclei, parti di tubuli fittili. Identificato un profondo scasso, forse opera di una sistematica spoliazione dell’antica opera architettonica per il recupero di materiali edili, avvenuta in età medievale e/o rinascimentale. Nel quadrante II l’intervento ha rilevato una larga trincea riconducibile alla piantagione in età moderna di filari di vite. Lo scavo ha messo in luce un livello di terra giallastra, un piano battuto in cocciopesto e malta, una pavimentazione attigua di lastroni di arenaria giallastra concotta, una cresta di muro con sviluppo Nord-Sud nella metà orientale. Tra i numerosi reperti di età romana, un denarius di Massimino I (235-238 d.C.) e una moneta di bronzo dell’imperatrice Faustina II, moglie di Marco Aurelio (146-175 d.C.). Sono proseguiti i lavori di restauro del grande mosaico con scena marina, di cui sono stati restituiti altri tre. L’intervento ha consentito di evidenziare nel maggiore di questi un decoro policromo con soggetti di analoga ambientazione. Si è anche provveduto a perimetrare con un cordolo di contenimento il grande mosaico bianco a fascia nera rinvenuto nelle precedenti stagioni e a stabilizzare l’opus signinum nei nuovi tratti di vasca scoperti. Oltre a intenti di ricerca e di tutela, la campagna archeologica ha associato finalità didattiche per i tirocinanti dei Corsi di Laurea in Valorizzazione dei Beni Culturali e in Management dei Beni Culturali dell’Ateneo maceratese; nello scavo sono stati coinvolti anche alcuni studenti di altre università italiane. Non è stato, inoltre, trascurato l’aspetto della comunicazione archeologica e della valorizzazione dell’area tifernate; previsti, infatti, sia il coinvolgimento delle scuole medie superiori delle provincie di Pesaro-Urbino e di Fermo col progetto A lavoro con gli archeologi, sia iniziative per un ‘cantiere aperto’, rivolte a turisti, curiosi e cittadini di Sant’Angelo in Vado.

La XV campagna archeologica (27 giugno - 25 luglio 2015) dell’Università di Macerata a _Tifernum Mataurense_ si è concentrata, come ormai da un quinquennio, nello scavo stratigrafico della ‘Area Sud’ delle terme romane in località Colombaro a Sant’Angelo in Vado (PU). Le indagini hanno avuto come primo obiettivo quello di completare lo scavo del quadrante I (figg. 1-3), già iniziato negli anni scorsi e ancora parzialmente nascosto sotto una residua e pluristratificata fase moderna e medievale. Secondo scopo è stato quello di continuare l’indagine stratigrafica nel contiguo quadrante II (fig. 4), intrapreso nella passata stagione con l’asportazione di alcuni strati moderni. Nella ‘Area Sud Terme I’ i lavori hanno interessato l’intera superficie del saggio e hanno consentito di ipotizzare tre differenti fasi: antica; tardo-antica e/o post-antica; moderna. La fase antica in particolare sembra comprendere tre momenti costruttivi, che vanno dalla tarda Repubblica al medio Impero. All’arco cronologico tra I sec. a.C. e I sec. d.C. è riferibile il rinvenimento sul fondo della vasca orientale, già parzialmente svuotata, di un ben coeso piano pavimentale in _opus spicatum_, che fa pensare alla pavimentazione di un’area esterna e/o di servizio, forse antecedente alla costruzione stessa delle terme. In un secondo tempo sul pavimento si imposta una struttura muraria in opera vittata, che forma un non meglio definito ambiente, a pianta ortogonale, a cui si appoggia nell’angolo Nord-Ovest un basolo di reimpiego, alloggiato in un taglio dello spicato. Nella fase successiva, orientativamente tra il primo e gli inizi del medio Impero, sembra inquadrabile l’impianto delle terme, a cui vanno ricondotte le due vasche, tra loro contigue e tangenti, parzialmente scoperte nelle precedenti campagne, e due grandi ambienti riscaldati con relativi _hypocaustum_ e _praefurnium_. Quanto ai due ambienti riscaldati, anch’essi già in parte venuti alla luce, presentano muri divisori in comune con le due vasche. La sottopavimentazione dei relativi ipocausti in _opus signinum_ consiste in un piano di cocciopesto compatto, uniforme e fine, che risale lungo le pareti. Una griglia di linee-guida, tracciata con un sistema a cordicelle di maglie quadrangolari, ha consentito in antico un’equidistante posa in opera delle _suspensurae_, allineate tra loro in modo ortogonale e ad una reciproca distanza di circa cm 60. Il _praefurnium_ sembra riconoscibile in un accumulo irregolare di frammenti edilizi, forse crollo della volta, rilevato in corrispondenza della parete Est del saggio, dove significativa è l’esistenza di superfici fortemente combuste. Nella terza sottofase, circoscritta all’età medio-imperiale, si ipotizza un riassetto del complesso termale con modifiche a forma e destinazione degli ambienti. Allo stesso periodo vanno verosimilmente ricondotte nell’angolo Sud-occidentale del saggio strutture facenti parte di un ambiente, aperto verso Sud, ma in larga parte ancora sotto il bordo meridionale del saggio. Alla seconda fase, quella tardo e post-antica, si datano nei vari settori dello scavo i numerosi ed eterogenei livelli di abbandono, disfacimento e crollo delle originarie strutture, che hanno restituito materiali in alcuni casi molto interessanti, quali: una tegola fittile con bollo ACT. ATTICO - PLAC. F. PROCVLAE degli inizi del II sec. d.C.; un coevo castone ovale di corniola rossa con scena militare incisa, un vago di collana in pasta vitrea blu; piccole monete bronzee, illeggibili, forse di IV-V sec. d.C. Riguardo la complessa e pluristratificata fase moderna va rilevato il riconoscimento dei livelli di età medievale e rinascimentale, che hanno restituito ceramica smaltata e maiolica. Riguardo l’Area Sud Terme II (tavv. I, III; figg. 17-24) le attività sono state orientate a proseguire l’asportazione della fase moderna, precipuamente lungo la fascia orientale del rettangolo di scavo. Molto esigui ancora gli elementi raccolti, ma in via ipotetica possiamo supporre almeno tre fasi: antica, post-antica, moderna. In particolare la fase antica, emersa finora soltanto lungo la parete Est di una lunga e profonda fossa moderna, è rappresentata da diverse unità stratigrafiche, appena affioranti: un piano battuto di cocciopesto a grossa tessitura, ricco di calce, ma fortemente sfaldato; una piccola struttura, di andamento Est-Ovest, composta da schegge di arenaria, ciottoli fluviali e malta magra; un piccolo accumulo di materia ad alta percentuale carboniosa, molto friabile, ma omogenea.

The 16th excavation campaign at _Tifernum_ _Mataurense_ continued the investigation of the Roman baths, situated in the locality of Colombaro at Sant’Angelo in Vado (PU), where Macerata University has been working since 2003. In particular, work continued in the southern sector of the baths, both in quadrant I in correspondence with the west pool and the south-west corner, and in the adjacent quadrant II. In the first trench and inside the pool the earliest identified phase was the positioning of a compact and smooth rectangular limestone slab (c. 3 x 2 m), incorporated into the _opus_ _signinum_ floor of the pool, perpendicular at the centre to the south wall. The position and technical data suggest it was a sort of platform on which an element of uncertain nature (sculptural, pseudo-architectural, or functional) stood. The type of set up places the slab within the first phase of the complex, previously dated to the early or beginning of the middle Empire. Subsequently, a filling system for the pool was constructed by assembling reused stone blocks and layers of fill, from which the sparse finds, including thin-walled ware and middle Adriatic pottery, confirm that the baths were reorganised during the mid imperial period. In the south-west corner, at a lower depth, there was a yellowish, compact clayey layer, probably close in phase with the natural. This was followed by a construction phase, represented in the north-east section by a corner wall, in irregular masonry made of small-sized materials, from which a horizontal terracotta slab projected. Its surface was badly deteriorated, and its position and the construction technique suggest it was part of a room with a terracotta floor of late Republican date. The construction on top of pre-existing structures of a room, perhaps heated, is attributed to the building phase of the baths, dated to around about the 1st century A.D. What remains consisted of an _opus_ _vittatum_ wall, faced with _opus_ _signinum_, a _rudus_ of stone chippings, cobblestones and mortar, and a few patches of a layer of fragmented tiles. The successive layers of dumped materials, interventions to restore the structures and the positioning of a partitioning slab, can be attributed to the reorganisation of the area. In the eastern half of quadrant II, the western part of the heated room was exposed, already identified in trench I and attributable to the first construction phase of the baths. Badly damaged by modern cuts, all that remained were a section of the south wall and a part of the hypocaust with _opus_ _signinum_ floor and eight equidistant circular _suspensurae_. What was probably the _praefurnium_ was identified in the central part of the trench. Although not completely excavated it appears to be situated in a rectangular room with _opus_ _vittatum_ walls. The mouth was formed by baked sandstone slabs, on an east-west alignment, and c. 70 cm apart. The rebuilding of the _praefurnium’s_ peripheral walls and of the threshold, the blocking of the mouth with cement and the creation of a floor surface outside the hypocaust can be attributed to a phase of reorganisation in the mid-imperial period. The overlying layers relate to the late antique/post-antique abandonment, a large robber trench of Renaissance date, and modern trenches for vine planting, which over the course of time have badly damaged the ancient structures.

The 17th campaign of excavation at _Tifernum_ _Mataurense_ continued work in the southern part of the Roman baths that had been heavily disturbed by numerous modern interventions. The aim was to reach the earliest level across the entire ‘quadrant II’ (10.80 x 9.55 m). There are three suggested phases: antique; late antique/post-antique; modern, of which the first can be divided into three sub-phases: I) late Republican; II) early Imperial/beginning of the mid Imperial; III) mid Imperial. A row of worked yellowish sandstone _basoli_ belonged to the first antique phase and was aligned along the axis of the west margin, at a level of -112 cm. At the foot of the base there was a badly degraded element in the same material, not completely excavated, whose shape suggests it was a column drum (?). In the past similar architectural elements were found in the fill of the eastern pool in adjacent ‘quadrant I’. These elements could have been part of a colonnaded facade on a low podium dating to the first half of the 1st century B.C. It seems that a large open space was then created, bordered to the north by a an _opus_ _vittatum_ structure and to the west by the pre-existing base, on which brick-built columns were placed. The room had direct stratigraphic relationships with the northern sector of the baths where excavations in the 1950s revealed the remains of _calidarium_ _tepidarium_ _frigidarium_ (?). Parallels, orientation, plan, size and construction technique of the walls suggest it was a _palestra_ (?) dating to about the mid 1st century B.C. Next, a wall in _opus_ _vittatum_ _mixtum_ was built up against the north wall of the pre-existing colonnaded space, representing the north side of a new room whose south and west walls emerged below those of the successive _praefurnium_. In the early Imperial/ beginning of the mid Imperial period a _praefurnium_ was built in _opus_ _vittatum_ _mixtum_ on top of the previous phase at -97 cm. The sides of the _praefurnium_ measured 16 feet but little survived, and it was opened to the east into the adjacent hypocaust, with an entrance from the west and an _opus_ _signinum_ floor. Inside the oven there was a platform made of two layers of yellowish and greyish sandstone slabs, set side-by-side and overlapping. The mouth of the oven survived, 2 feet wide and formed by parapets on an east-west alignment made of more or less regular greyish sandstone blocks that were heavily burnt. The construction of the oven seemed to be in phase with the two pools in adjacent trench I. The restoration of the structures and repair of the _praefurnium_ floor presumably date to the mid Imperial phase. In the western sector, the floor level was heightened using dumped materials and slabs of greyish sandstone, badly damaged by modern cuts. The late antique/post antique phase is represented by the abandonment of the baths, attested by the razing of walls and layers of collapse containing materials dating to between the 3rd and 5th centuries A.D. The area was then reused: cobblestone housings probably for posts fixed on the crests of pre-existing structures; flooring material added to the pre-existing one in the western sector so that it could continue to be used; small tile-made drainage channel (?) situated in a gap in the ancient podium. An irregular robber trench across the entire area with an accumulation of heterogeneous materials no later than 5th century A.D. is of later date. This was covered by what may be an alluvial deposit. Lastly, the modern period was represented by destructive interventions such as a well, robber trenches, and trenches for vines.

The 29th campaign of excavations in the Roman baths of _Tifernum_ _Mataurense_ in the locality of Colombaro at Sant’Angelo in Vado (PU) continued in ‘quadrant II’ in order to reach the earliest phase across the entire area, in part still covered by later layers. The excavation area was enlarged (max. length 18.20 m, max. width 11.30 m) with the intention of joining the structures in our trench to those investigated in the 1950s (not stratigraphically) and damaged by later cuts. The resulting data suggested the presence of three phases: ancient, late/post antique and modern. The first is divided into three sub-phases: 1) early-late Republican/Augustan; II) early imperial/mid imperial; III) mid imperial/late antique. Sub-phase I was represented by a sewer system comprising two separate channels, and a row of large sandstone blocks, probably the base of a colonnade, to which fragmentary columns in the same material found reused in past campaigns may have belonged. The level, stratigraphic context, alignment and construction technique imply there were already organised structures in the area in the first half of the 1st century B.C. There followed the construction of the baths ( _calidarium_, _tepidarium_, _frigidarium_ ) and probable gymnasium, extending to the south, where a monumental western entrance emerged in the trench. It was built on the pre-existing foundation with brick columns and pilasters plastered in red (diam. 0.58 m; intercolumniation c. 2.70 m), of which one _in_ _situ_ that emerged this year (max. preserved height c. 45 cm); other very fragmentary ones were found in the 1950s. The colonnade probably extended to the south to form a distyle façade ?in-antis. The north side of the gymnasium was closed by a structure of small blocks with a quadrangular niche. Within the gymnasium was the probable _natatio_ lined with _opus_ _signinum_, at a tangent and parallel with the north wall, of which part of the west wall was present in the trench. The plan, construction technique, finds, level and stratigraphic relationships date this phase to the mid 1st century B.C. A phase of monumentalisation also dates to the late Republican and Augustan periods. This involved the construction of an apse (diam. 9.20 m), today in sub-foundation, abutting the exterior of the _calidarium_ south wall, and a room (4.00 m long) between the apse and swimming pool, perhaps the _destrictarium_. Sub-phase II, is loosely datable to between the late 1st century A.D. and the early 2nd century A.D. It consisted of changes to the previous layout, such as the construction on the gymnasium, apse and _destrictarium_ of the already known heated room with hypocaust and _praefurnium_ and the re-flooring of the _calidarium_ and _tepidarium_ with bipedales, made by _Pla.C.F.Proculae_ and _Act.Attico_ (104 A.D.). Sub-phase II was represented by accumulations of building rubble and a substantial clayey layer (25-30 cm deep). The physical characteristics and material finds, including glazed middle- Adriatic pottery, and an inscription (32.5 x 30 x 4.8 cm) with a fragmentary dedication to a high-ranking army officer, indicate collapses and alluvial events between the second half of the 2nd century A.D. and the 3rd century A.D. A raising of the floor surface in _opus_ _signinum_ in the western sector could attest the momentary restoration of the area, however, this was soon followed by the abandonment of the complex, and the reuse of the building materials for later floors (excavated last year). The large irregular pit in the south-eastern part of the trench dates to the late antique/post-antique phase. Of indeterminate function, it cut deep into the existing stratigraphy and the subsoil in the south-eastern corner. It contained pottery dating to the 5th-7th century A.D.