In the years 1998-1999 the Archaeology Department of Bologna University undertook excavations which led to the discovery of Roman structures datable to between the 1st century B.C. and the 2nd century A.D. Moreover, a vast complex was uncovered that had already been investigated in 1942 by a team from the German Archaeological Institute in Rome and interpreted as Theodoric’s hunting lodge. Further excavations undertaken between 2002 and 2006 ascertained the presence of an extensive and articulated bath complex. The discovery of the baths, which certainly form part of the so-called “Palace of Theodoric” is further confirmation that this late antique residence belonged, if not to a king, then at least to an important dignitary at the court of Ravenna. The architectural characteristics show striking analogies with the bath buildings of the middle to late Roman period. During the 2005 excavation investigations were concentrated in three sectors: - The baths area was completely uncovered and two large twin rooms which functioned as sitting rooms were identified in the summer area of the baths, which can be interpreted as zones for relaxing, sheltered from the sun and wind. The function of room 10 was also identified. This was a latrine, of which little remains apart from the drainage system. This consisted of a small drain upon which the seats must have rested, parallel to the back wall, which discharged into a larger drain running perpendicular to it. - The corridor providing access to the baths was over 30 m long and followed a strange course as after going 25 m to the east, its two walls turn north at an angle of circa 30° degrees to then join to one side of the courtyard. This change of direction is justified by having to join the bath complex to the central body of the residence, that which was uncovered in 1942. This strange shape would have conditioned the type of roofing used which must have been a vaulted cryptoporticus, or a single pitched roof supported by a portico. - Sector F which joined the baths to the area excavated in 1942 by the German archaeologists, produced walled structures which were probably service spaces (stables?). (MiBAC)

The investigations were concentrated in an area that was only partially explored in 1942 by the Istituto Archeologico Germanico of Rome. The aim was to acquire new data regarding this multi-layered site, characterised by circa fifteen centuries of occupation, from the 6th century B.C. to the 9th century A.D. In particular, recent excavations have led to a new interpretation of the complex known as the “Palace” or villa of the Goth king Theodoric. The villa’s chronology and wealth make it likely that it belonged to Theodoric. It was laid out in several sectors or pavilions, connected by long corridors and ample open spaces. Of particular interest the discovery of the villa’s bath complex, completely excavated during the most recent campaigns. The most exceptional aspect emerging from the remains of this great villa is the chronology, datable, with a measure of certainty, to between the second half of the 5th and the beginning of the 6th century A.D. Therefore this is one of the latest examples, at least within the Italian peninsula, of the typology of great private residences of late antiquity. At the same time it is one of the best-preserved and most reliable examples of what is commonly defined as “palace architecture of the Theodorican period”. During the 2009 campaign the excavations concentrated on the northern area of the villa. This new trench revealed the remains of earlier (a Roman villa), coeval and later structures. Throughout the decades most of these structures, residences and warehouses, seemed to have “joined” themselves to the large residential complex. The remains of a later building were also present. Of uncertain interpretation (perhaps a monastery) it dates to between the 8th and 9th century. At present the entire bath complex of the villa of Theodoric is under restoration in preparation for being opened to the public.

The results of the 2010 excavations clearly demonstrated that the extent of the large villa being excavated at Galeata is not limited to the residential nucleus, partially brought to light in 1942 and partially excavated by Bologna University from 1998 onwards. In fact, small residential and storage structures are emerging to the north-west of the villa’s central structure, aligned along a small via glareata. The impression is that this was the villa’s original pars rustica, which over several decades seems to have transformed into a village. The most recent excavations led to the discovery, among other things, of what seems to be the western enclosure wall of the entire complex. Furthermore, a rectangular building was uncovered associated with the possible enclosure wall of the Theoderican villa. Possibly a tower, postern gate or deposit, the back of it constitutes the continuation of the enclosure wall. The 2010 investigations also shed light on the Roman occupation of the site. Structures which can be attributed to at least two pre-Theoderican phases were uncovered: late Republican-early Imperial and a mid Imperial phase. The first Roman phase was attested so far by the foundations of two walls, built of tile and mixed rubble bonded with clay mortar, which had been razed in a subsequent period. The second phase was attested by a large warehouse, only partially excavated, for dry foodstuffs and cereals. The warehouse had a wooden floor (later burnt, as shown by the clear traces of burnt wood) raised above the ground surface and resting on reused suspensurae and intermediate walls in order to provide insulation. All of this material was easily recognisable in the layers of destruction and burning of the building. The large number of nails, in relation to the wooden remains, constitutes further evidence for the presence of a substantial wooden floor. An abundance of food remains were found within the layers of collapse (including broad beans), together with a small group of bronze coins (from a purse), datable to the mid 3rd century and diverse pottery fragments. The aim of the next campaign will be to conclude the excavation of the warehouse, which represents an interesting “sealed” context.

In 2011, the University of Bologna’s excavations concentrated on two macro-sectors, already partially exposed during the previous campaign: the Roman warehouse in the north-western part of the excavation (Trench 35) and the structures dating to the Theodosian and post-Theodosian periods, in the south and south-eastern part of the Alpestri property (Trench 36). In 2010, the excavation of the first sector partially exposed a Roman building, burnt down towards the middle of the 3rd century A.D., identified as a warehouse for dry foodstuffs and various other types of materials. The north and south perimeters of the building were documented, while those to the east and west were not reached. Although the north wall was found at less than one metre from the previous trench edge, it was seen that the building extended to the east, well beyond what was originally thought. In fact, a large quadrangular room doubled the size of the warehouse, which was therefore much larger than previously imagined. Thus, the structure appears rather to be a multifunctional pavilion, of the type used at the large productive villas of the Roman period, such as Settefinestre or, locally, Russi. The excavation of the second sector (Trench 36) was particularly interesting, as for the first time the evidence confirmed what had been presumed for some time: the reuse of the residential part of the earlier Roman villa in the Theodosian period. In fact, a room of late imperial date with _opus signinum_ floors was exposed, which had been restored and reused in the later period.

The continuation of excavations in trenches 35 and 36, opened the previous year on the property uphill from the strada del Pantano, exposed structures of importance for the understanding of the site. In trench 35, excavation of the warehouse destroyed in the 3rd century A.D. was completed, and work began on a kiln discovered immediately to the east. This very large structure could have been used for producing brick/tile, amphorae or other medium to large sized ceramics. The kiln, Cuomo Di Caprio type II/b, had a central corridor and the plan was rather more square than rectangular. The central corridor was clearly visible crossing the entire structure starting from the mouth of the _praefurnium_ (still to be excavated), as was the series of orthogonal arched walls supporting the kiln floor. The firing floor was well-preserved, contrary to what is usually found, apart from a long central lacuna, caused by a modern agricultural ditch, which however made it possible to observe the inside of the kiln and measure the height of the combustion chamber. A tank, probably for clay decantation, was situated in the same productive sector, not far south of the kiln. Continuation of the excavation in trench 36 led to the discovery of a large octagonal hall, only half of which was exposed as the southern half lies below the Pantano road. The hall could be the northernmost room of the residential sector of Theodoric’s villa, as no other coeval structures were identified to its north. The area outside the octagonal hall to the north was probably a garden in the period of the Gothic king. The hall was paved with a high-quality geometric polychrome mosaic that was in a good state of preservation. The vaulted roof had been constructed with syringe-shaped tubuli, as documented by finds of numerous fragmentary examples. The northern walls of the octagon were robbed down to the foundations, while the central sections were better-preserved, standing to between 20-30 cm and 50 cm. The wall’s had been completely stripped of their decorative facing.

Prior to starting open-area excavation of the remains of the reception pavilion of the Theodorican villa, the 2013 excavations, in the locality of Poderina, near Galatea, had two main objectives. The first was to obtain stratigraphic data from the strip of terrain preserved downhill from the Pantano road, in order to check for the presence of other rooms in phase with the octagonal hall found in 2012. The second was the continuation of the investigation in the sector known as the _pars_ _fructuaria_ of a Roman villa predating the Gothic phase. Here, rooms for wine production (wine cellars, _torcularia_, _doliaria_), and a series of kilns had been uncovered during preceding campaigns. In relation to the Theodorician phases of the site, the excavation evidence showed that the Gothic king’s residence certainly extended south of the present Pantano road, beyond the great chasm perhaps created by an earthquake and in which the Saetta torrent flowed in the medieval period. The trench opened in the strip of terrain preserved to the south of the road revealed several walls delimiting three rooms, coeval with the octagonal hall of the Gothic period. The function of these rooms can only be suggested. The polychrome and geometric mosaic motifs, simpler than those in the octagonal hall, find parallels in the corridor areas in the Domus di Via D’Azeglio, Ravenna. Thus, these three structures may also have functioned as a connecting area and passageway. Structures relating to various phases of the urban-rustic villa were found in the production sector of the Roman villa, datable to between the last decades of the Republic and the beginning of the 5th century. The most significant find was that of a second kiln, of the same type and practically same date as the one found in 2012, datable to the late Republican-very early imperial period. The new kiln was also of the type with a central corridor, Cuomo Di Caprio type II/b, more square than rectangular in plan, whose notable size indicates it was used for the production of brick/tile, amphora or other ceramic objects of middle to large dimensions. The interior perforated floor including the system of supporting arches with related channels were well- preserved, as were parts of the firing chamber walls, in which the lateral opening for positioning the unbaked bricks was recognisable.

In 2014, the excavations continued the research of the preceding years with the aim of clarifying the extension to the north of the Roman villa’s _pars_ _rustica_, in particular the large production sector. The latter included two kilns of the type with a central corridor that were used towards the end of the 1st century B.C. for producing brick/tile, amphora, _dolia_ and other large-middle sized ceramics. The new trench was opened two metres to the north of the area where the kilns were excavated. The archaeological evidence showed that in the period of Theodoric, this sector situated north of the residential structures of Theodoric’s complex, was probably a garden or wooded area. Sections of wall, built of stone and clay mortar, and rubble layers probably relating to phase two of the productive structures of the Roman villa (early 5th century A.D.) are what remain following the robbing of earlier structures during the construction of the Gothic king’s residence at the beginning of the 6th century A.D. Underlying layers, characterised by the presence of pottery fragments, vitrified clay and reddened earth, attest the vicinity of the kilns and occupation of the villa’s _pars_ _fructaria_ between the end of the Republic and the mid 3rd century when the storerooms and wine cellars were abandoned. The entire sector was restructured with new functions at the beginning of the 5th century. However, the most important discovery of the 2014 campaign regards the site’s earliest occupation phases. In addition to numerous pottery fragments datable to the 2nd century B.C., the levels below those of the production sector of the Roman villa produced a Republican bronze Aes, the obverse showing the head of Janus, attributable to the same period. In addition, a wall on a north-south alignment was identified of which a short section was visible as it continued beyond the trench edge. The foundations and first course of the footing were preserved, formed by a row of large horizontal tiles and filled with brick/tile fragments and clay mortar. The wall was part of a building, probably dating to the 2nd century B.C. The excavations have thus demonstrated the presence of a permanent settlement datable to the first phase of Romanisation in the valley, in a period preceding the constitution of the _municipium_ of _Mevaniola_.

This season’s excavations on the site of Galeata (loc. Poderina) produced new evidence regarding the phases pre-dating the construction in the early Principate of the villa, whose production sector was partially excavated during previous years. Indeed, the excavations have shown the presence of a permanent settlement, datable to the first phase of Romanisation in the valley, between the late 3rd and the full 2nd century B.C. Until last year, the existence of the settlement was a hypothesis based only on a few fragments of black glaze ware found in lower layers and in layers of fill, on both sides of the via Pantano during previous seasons. In 2014, a section of wall was identified (fully excavated in 2015), built of tile fragments. The wall was dated to this period by the presence of a large quantity of black glaze ware fragments mainly datable to the 2nd century B.C., together with residual fragments of impasto pottery, certainly of the same date, in the stratigraphy that was in phase with it. In 2015, a large trench was opened (c. 12 x 7 m), revealing two kilns, and two rooms. The latter had been rebuilt and altered several times, the latest of which partially overlay and obliterated the previous building. The earliest kiln presented a single short corridor dug in the terrain and a sub-circular _praefurnium_ situated at the east end. A clay dome must have covered the firing chamber, inside which the vessels were fired in direct contact with the fire. This primitive structure produced the hand-made pottery found in abundance throughout the area. Pottery fragments found in the fill of ash and charcoal inside the _praefurnium_ and the firing chamber date the abandonment of this first kiln, which was probably in use for a short time, to the 2nd century B.C., when a second, larger kiln, situated immediately to the south, replaced it. The second kiln, also with a single corridor, was in a better state of preservation and more structured than the first. It had a firing chamber with a perforated floor and produced fine black glaze table-wares and coarse wares. The type of ware was identified with certainty by the analysis of production residues, transformed by the heat, found in cohesive blocks inside the firing chamber, against the walls and in contact with the arches supporting the firing floor that had collapsed. These ceramic residues, relating to the last production, can be attributed to forms dating to the full 2nd century B.C., period in which the kiln was abandoned, as was the adjacent service room built with tile fragments, situated two metres to the north. In the Augustan period, a second, larger storeroom replaced the earlier service room, and was functional to the large kilns built just to the south, in the first phase of the large urban-rustic villa. Although the excavations have provided an initial chronology for the occupation of the area, the comprehension of the nature and actual extension of the settlement has proved to be more complicated. The excavated elements, datable to between the late 3rd and the 2nd century B.C., are all production structures and clearly belong to a workshop area. The limited size of the excavated area means that for the moment it cannot be established whether this was the production sector of a small village or of a villa supplying the surrounding territory with its products.

This was Bologna University’s 19th campaign of excavations on the site of the so-called “Palazzo” of Theodoric in the locality of Poderina (Galeata – FC), and the second year of a collaboration with Parma University. The main aim was to check the presence and nature of any archaeological deposit in two areas adjacent to the Podere Alpestri 2 through which the new variant to the line of the via del Pantano is due to pass, according to what has been established by the local planning office, and identify the area of the future archaeological park. Two trenches were excavated: 52 and 53. The 2016 excavations produced new and important data regarding the nature of the large warehouse, whose southern and western edges were partially identified in 2015. The structure has a rectangular plan on a SW-NE alignment and half of it extends underneath the new line of the via del Pantano. This was a complex of considerable size, probably used for the production and storage of dry foodstuffs, although the bad state of preservation of the internal spaces and the limited excavations make it difficult to define the function of the spaces any more precisely. Unlike the large warehouse situated further west, the interior of building 1 does not appear to be divided into a series of connecting rooms by partition walls. However, it cannot be excluded that a dividing wall is situated precisely below the line of the gas pipeline cutting the building from east to west. The western perimeter wall, uncovered for a total of 12 m, presents half pilasters 4-5 m apart that served to sustain the load of the heavy timber and tile roof and of the thick walls, of which no traces survive as they were completely robbed-out in antiquity. The excavations and study of the material finds show that the architectural complex was built in the very early Augustan period and was abandoned, robbed and obliterated no later than the 2nd-3rd century A.D. The poor state of preservation of the walls, whose building materials were removed even at foundation level, and the complete lack of roof collapse are clear signs of an intense operation of robbing and the reuse of building materials from this structure. It may be suggested that the Augustan warehouse, probably already partially abandoned in the 2nd century A.D., was completely demolished and dismantled in order to reuse the materials for the construction of an extension to the large warehouse situated in the productive sector of the Roman villa. It is possible that atin a certain phase of the villa’s life, it was decided to concentrate the spaces for production and storage of agricultural products on the highest part of the plateau abandoning the area of the earlier Augustan warehouse (building 1) whose robbed structures were voluntarily levelled and obliterated. This season’s excavations also led to the identification of part of two walls and a large pit certainly datable to a period post-dating the abandonment and robbing of the large warehouse but whose function remains hypothetical and chronology remains relative, given the reduced size of the excavation area and limited study of the finds.

The aim of the excavations was to completely expose the large octagonal hall in the residential sector of the 6th century A.D. villa. Its northern half, paved with a fine geometric polychrome mosaic was found during Bologna University’s 2012 excavations. This excavation was made possible by work to alter the line of via del Pantano, and the opening of trench 54 in which the southern half of the octagonal hall lay, which to date had been covered by the old road. The octagonal hall occupied an area of c. 32 m2, excluding the space occupied by the walls, each internal sides measuring c. 2.65 m. The walls were built in a mixed technique using cobblestones, small and medium sized sandstone blocks and occasional tiles, arranged in farily regular courses and bonded with pink lime mortar. At some points, the walls were robbed down to the foundation offset while others, in particular to the south, were preserved to a height of c. 0.50 m. In addition to making it possible to completely reconstruct the octagonal hall, with its precious mosaic floor, the 2018 excavations identified the entrance vestibule that also presented a well-preserved mosaic. It was also seen that the architectural complex built in the early 6th century A.D. and used as the villa’s reception room, after a first abandonment in about the 7th century A.D., underwent a change in function. This was shown by the rise in the floor level and probably related to the development on the site of a religious conplex between the 8th and 12th centuries. The finds study will certainly improve the dating for these changes that took place during the centuries in the Theodorican complex.

The main aim of the 2019 excavations was to check the stratigraphy and state of preservation of any mosaic floors present in the area immediately south of trench 54, opened in 2018, which allowed the large octagonal hall with its fine geometric mosaic to be completely excavated. The hall functioned as the reception room of the Gothic king’s palace. In 2019, trench 55 was opened at c. two metres south of the previous one. Part of the trench, like that of last year, corresponded with the road that was moved in 2018 to facilitate the archaeological research. Among the most interesting data was produced by the complete excavation of the vestibule leading into the octagonal hall. An abandonment layer was identified above the floor of the vestibule, containing charcoal fragments and animal bones. This layer relates to the abandonment phases of the residential sector of the villa. Presumably, in about the 7th century, once the villa was abandoned, the complex must have been used as a temporary shelter, as also seen in the bath quarter, inside the pools. This layer covered the mosaic floor to a variable depth. The floor itself was not intact and continued on from a patch uncovered last year at its north eastern edge. The geometric motif comprised an external band decorated with polychrome lozenges. The external border was black with a white fill. The interior nucleus was made up of grey sandstone and pink limestone tesserae. The Solomon’s Knot motif inside clipei was repeated in the inner geometric field of the mosaic. The floor was in a very good state of preservation with the exception of the south-western part of the room. Here, the mosaic had been very badly damaged by a long, deep pit.