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FOLD&R Italy Series

Editors: Maria Grazia Celuzza, Elena Chirico, Elizabeth Fentress
Scientific Committee: Gilda Bartoloni, Enrico Benelli, Alessandra Capodiferro, Alberto Cazella, Alfredo Coppa, Michael Crawford, Stefano De Caro, Alessandro Guidi, Paolo Liverani, Alessandra Molinari, Massimo Osanna, Emanuele Papi, Lucia Saguì, Catherine Virlouvet, Giuliano Volpe, Andrew Wallace-Hadrill

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Index for 2018

  • 427 - Franca C. Papparella. 2018. La Cattedrale di Cosenza: dalla consacrazione federiciana alla stratigrafia archeologica antica . The archaeological investigations conducted inside the cathedral of Cosenza have clarified various aspects of the history of the city. Under the presbytery, in fact, the mosaic floor of a baptismal font with channels of inflow and outflow of water has been brought to light. The vitreous finds, found buried in a hole inside the baptismal font, document the use of the spring from the end of the IV to the end of the VI-beginning of the VII century. The site was reoccupied in the 13th century with the construction of the cathedral of Frederick II. The excavation has highlighted a rich stratigraphic palimpsest, with evidence that can be ascribed to the Brettian, Roman, Late Antique, Medieval and Post-Medieval periods. PDFpermalinkRecord Sheet
  • 426 - Roberto Goffredo, Darian M. Totten, Sara Loprieno - Università di Foggia. 2018. Salapia romana. Salpi medievale (Cerignola, FG): Notizie dagli scavi 2017 . This paper presents the excavation data from the 2017 field season at Roman Salapia and Medieval Salpi, towns which occupied a similar location along the Salpi Lagoon, a salty lake on the Adriatic Coast of northern Apulia. Heretofore, details of the progression from the Roman to medieval settlement have remained elusive. To clarify this history, we opened two trenches, one atop the topographical feature of the Monte di Salpi, long-believed to encase the remains of the medieval castrum, and one immediately below, along the plain, where evidence of the Roman and Late Antique town is most apparent. From the settlement adjacent to the lagoon, we determined these patterns: already in the mid-5th c. CE, the remains of what was a Roman utilitarian structure were re-inhabited by a series of huts within the preserved walls. A village occupation continued into the 7th c. CE, with a new occupation in the 8thc. CE. Abandonment occurred in the 9th c. CE, a break in settlement that persisted for perhaps two centuries until the foundation of Salpi in the early 11th c. (date from episcopal records). The excavation on the Monte has revealed structures of the 13th and 14th c. Through the stratigraphic section of a late 15th c. well, extending to the bottom of the Monte to about 5 m, we have convincing proof that the medieval castrum was constructed atop the remains of the Roman town. Additionally, these buildings, close to the western gate into the city, might offer details of urbanism near the Porta dei Calabri, before their destruction by an earthquake in 1456. PDFpermalinkRecord Sheet
  • 425 - Ilaria Battiloro, 3. Marcello Mogetta- University of Missouri, Columbia. 2018. New Investigations at the Sanctuary of Venus in Pompeii: Interim Report on the 2017 Season of the Venus Pompeiana Project . In convenzione con il Parco Archeologico di Pompei, archeologi della Mount Allison University e della University of Mis-souri hanno ripreso lo studio del Tempio e Santuario di Venere. L’obbiettivo principale della nuova iniziativa, il Venus Pompeiana Project (https://www.archaeological.org/interactivedigs/pompeiiitaly/), è quello di stabilire cronologia, estensione ed organizzazione interna del luogo di culto originario, e la natura dei rituali che vi venivano condotti, definendo le trasformazioni urbanistiche in questo settore di Pompei con la transizione alla fase romana. Si presentano in questa sede i risultati della prima campagna di rilievo fotogrammetrico e di mirati interventi di scavo archeologico nel sito. Le attività, parte di un programma triennale, complementano le precedenti ricerche con nuovi dati descrittivi e topografici, con lo scopo di svilupparele migliori pratiche per l’integrazione e l’analisi di vecchi e nuovi dati in formato digitale. La riapertura di una trincea scavata da un team dell’Università della Basilicata nel 2006 nella corte ad E del podio, ed il suo allargamento per comprendere un settore del portico orientale, hanno portato alla luce nuove strutture che predatano il complesso esistente. I resti murari e la sequenza stratigrafica dimostrano che nel II secolo a.C. l’area aveva una differente organizzazione spaziale, essendo occupata da due isolati distinti separati da una stretta strada. Il proseguimento delle indagini consentirà di chiarire natura e funzione degli edifici all’interno degli isolati. I reperti confermano la datazione post-sillana del primo triportico e tempio. I risultati iniziali hanno importanti implicazioni per la comprensione della topografia di un cruciale settore di Pompei che si affacciava su Via Marina in diretta relazione con la Basilica. PDFpermalinkRecord Sheet
  • 424 - Dora Cirone (ISAR), Marzia Di Mento, Tommaso Bertoldi - Università Tor Vergata, Alessio De Cristofaro - Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Roma. 2018. Signum Vortumni Project Rapporto preliminare sulla prima campagna di scavi negli Horrea Agrippiana (2016) . The findings emerging from the new excavation in the Horrea Agrippiana pertain the ancient stratigraphic sequence, only superficially damaged by Boni’s probes. The excavations have provided new data for the history of this part of the palatine slopes, from 6th to the 1st century B.C. After some traces dated in the archaic period, the earliest residential building visible, only small portions of which were uncovered, was constructed in opera quadrata and probably dates still in middle-repubblican age. This structure was reconstructed and modified in its plan and volume at the end of the 2nd century BCE. The new home, in opera incerta masonry, was arranged on multiple floors, probably with terraces, the topmost of which may possibly have connected to the upper slopes of the Palatine located at 20 meters above sea level; it is still visible at the North-East corner of the area, behind the Horrea Agrippiana which was to almost entirely obliterate it. The domus was likely destroyed during a fire in the first decades of the first century BCE and the area subsequently changed its function. A new brick structure was constructed on the site around the middle part of the 1st century B.C.: it is characterized, at least on the northern side, by a series of parallel chambers, 4 meters wide, open to the South, finished in travertine block end-pieces opening onto an area that was probably open-air. This ground plan seems to be repeated, even though the spaces don’t precisely correspond, in the current Horrea Agrippiana building. Probably, the brick structure was a storage building like the augustan one. Another important and surprising result achieved in the fall 2016 survey concerns the knowledge of the evolution of life of the monument in late antiquity and the early middle ages. Contrary to what has previously been believed, the building does not appear to have been abandoned during the sixth century; some small construction projects are in fact posterior to the deposition of an extensive burn layer dated to the first decades of seventh CE. These create an artificial ground-plane, placed in the area to level and raise the pavement. It was only in the timeframe from the seventh to the eighth century that the building definitively changed its function; near the northeastern corner of the site, the discovery of two child graves testifies that at least this area assumed a funerary function. PDFpermalinkRecord Sheet
  • 422 - Giancarlo Pastura - Università della Tuscia, Elisabetta De Minicis, Carlo Tedeschi - Università “G. D’Annunzio” di Chieti e Pescara, Filippo Bozzo , Matteo Serpetti - Università della Tuscia, Manfredi Maria Vaccari. 2018. San Valentino (Soriano nel Cimino – Viterbo). Primi risultati delle indagini archeologiche (campagne 2015-2017) . The paper presents the results of a survey conducted on the medieval site of San Valentino, located 5 km North of Soriano nel Cimino. The archaeological excavations carried out by the University of Tuscia between 2015 and 2017 have highlighted the main historical phases of the settlement, from the Roman period until the modern age. Once the excavation area had been identified, the layers of collapse covering the entire surface of a church (19 × 7 m) were excavated. The building’s perimeter was exposed, revealing a church with a single aisle and apse, on a north-east/south-west alignment, memory of which had been completely lost. On the other hand, the first cleaning of the area in the immediate vicinity of the building revealed traces of the rooms abutting it, evidence of the long occupation of the site. Furthermore, there are numerous “pestarole” (vats/structures for pounding-crushing), single, with drainage channels, linked one to another and of various forms. It is not certain what they were used for but it probably relates to agricultural-farming seasonal or occasional activities, which involved the use of liquids. PDFpermalinkRecord Sheet
  • 423 - Giovanni Mastronuzzi . 2018. Una “torre” di età ellenistica presso Giuggianello - Puglia meridionale. Archaeological excavations held in 2016 and 2017 have brought to light a circular stone building in the territory of Giuggianello – inland of Otranto. Because of the analysis of construction technique, stratigraphy and pottery sherds we can recognize a tower dating back to the 4th-3rd century B.C. built over a mound (“specchia”) of the middle Bronze Age. Perhaps, during both the phases, the tower function was to guarantee the visional control of the territory, also for a better management of its resources (agricultural, pastoral and forest): we can imagine that similar buildings could be functional to line of sight communication. The study of the Hellenistic tower also refers to the settlement pattern of the Salento and some similarities can be recognized with other buildings in the territory of Giuggianello but, moreover, in northern Messapia (areas of Ceglie Messapica, Oria and Manduria). PDFpermalinkRecord Sheet
  • 421 - Elena Chirico. 2018. Casale Tricosto (Capalbio, GR): da mansio romana a chiesa nell’antico ager Cosanus . Roman baths and a medieval church have been found at Casale Tricosto in the ancient ager Cosanus (central Italy). The former was within a 3rd c. AD mansio along a road connecting the two major routes, the via Aurelia Nova and the via Clodia. This trasformation, as well as the nearby statio Ad Nonas, could be connected with the organisation of the cursus publicus. The presence of the res Caesaris, the imperial estates attested from the end of 1st – the early 2nd c. AD in the ager Cosanus and in the Giglio and Giannutri islands, seems to have boosted this process. In the medieval period, a church, possibly dedicated to S. Frediano, was built on the ruins of the roman baths. It is mentioned within literary sources as a property owned by the monastery of Sant’Anastasio alle Tre Fontane, as lying near a small lake, likely that of San Floriano, and the castle of Tricosto. The monastery owned the Cosa region, with Ansitonia as civitas, from the 1000 (or earlier) -1700 c. AD, inheriting a territorial unit of the former Roman res Caesaris. PDFpermalinkRecord Sheet
  • 420 - William Van Andringa - École française de Rome, Università di Lille 3 e Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Study, Thomas Creissen - Evéha International, Henri Duday - université de Bordeaux. 2018. La necropoli romana di Porta Nocera a Pompei. Campagna 2017. Begun in 2014, the new program of research on the necropolis of Porta Nocera aimed first at the understanding and characterization of the processes involved in the foundation of a funerary landscape on the edges of the colony, between its foundation and the eruption of AD 79, in particular the implication of the public authorities in the planning and management of the funerary area. Then, after a few generations, it was necessary to define the different enclosures and funerary structures (and their relative chronologies) and to recognize the traditions of families or groups in the organization of the tombs and the exercise of ritual sequences. Finally, the exceptional state of conservation of the funerary complexes allowed us to study closely the three major steps in the rituals of death that are cremation, deposition in the tomb, and commemoration of the dead. It is by now possible to associate very precise gestures to each of these steps: their compilation will allow us to propose a precise form of hermeneutics founded on close-reading of the terrain. In this context, the program has a strong methodological orientation, both in the excavation itself – in the creation of specific protocols for the documentation of acts and gestures – and in the laboratory, with the study of burned bones and of the objects used in the ritual sequences. The richness of what we have observed permits us to propose new and important results on the structure of the rites used in the enclsures as well as on the elaboration and transmission of funerary customs in the bosom of a Roman community in Italy. How were the rituals organised and transmited from one generation to another? How was the collective otherness of death constructed at Pompeii? And to what degree did the practices follow Roman tradition? A documentation as exhaustive as possible of all traces left by the Pompeians of their activities in the necropolis allows us to distinguish between the intentional and the accidental to reconstruct the contents of local funerary practice. The methodological investment and the results obtained fully justify the organization of an archaeological formation designed for doctoral students and professionals, which concerns not only the excavation of funerary structures but also the specific study of cremations. During the 2017 campagne, a course directed by one of us (H.D.) brought together eight people to study the burned bones from our previous excavations, with a research specifically oriented towards finding joins between different contexts, either functional of stratigraphic. Amorcé en 2014, le nouveau programme d’étude de la nécropole de Porta Nocera a pour première ambition de com-prendre et de caractériser les processus de constitution d’un paysage funéraire aux abords de la ville entre la fondation de la colonie et l’éruption de 79, notamment l’implication des autorités publiques dans la planification et la gestion des aires funéraires. Il s’agit ensuite, sur un temps relativement court, quelques générations, de préciser la genèse des différents enclos et structures funéraires (chronologie relative des tombes) et de reconnaître des traditions familiales ou des groupes dans l’aménagement des sépultures et l’exercice des séquences rituelles. Enfin, l’exceptionnel état de conservation des ensembles funéraires permet d’étudier au plus près les trois grandes étapes des rituels de la mort que sont la crémation, la mise au tombeau et la commémoration des défunts. À chacune de ces étapes il est désormais possible d’associer des gestes très précis dont la compilation permettra de proposer une forme d’herméneutique fondée sur la lecture attentive du terrain. Dans ce domaine, le programme comporte une dimension méthodologique forte, autant sur la fouille, dans la mise en place des protocoles d’enregistrement spécifiques destinés à reconnaître les gestes, qu’en laboratoire avec l’étude des restes humains brûlés et du mobilier utilisé dans les séquences rituelles. La richesse des faits observés permet d’ores et déjà de proposer des résultats inédits et déterminants sur la structure des rites déployés dans les enclos ainsi que sur l’élaboration et la transmission des coutumes funéraires au sein d’une communauté romaine d’Italie. Comment étaient organisées et transmises les partitions rituelles d’une génération à l’autre, d’une famille à l’autre ? Comment était construite l’altérité collective de la mort à Pompéi ? En quoi les pratiques suivaient-elles la tradition romaine ? Un enregistrement aussi exhaustif que possible de toutes les traces laissées par les Pompéiens lors de leur fréquentation de la nécropole amène désormais à distinguer l’occasionnel de l’intentionnel pour restituer le contenu des pratiques funéraires locales. L’investissement méthodologique et les résultats obtenus justifient pleinement l’organisation d’une formation en archéologie funéraire destinée à des doctorants et professionnels, qui concerne tout autant la fouille des structures funéraires que l’étude spécifique des crémations. Lors de la campagne 2017, un stage dirigé par l’un de nous (H.D.) a réuni 8 personnes qui ont pu se former à l’étude des os brûlés à partir des tombes exhumées au cours des précédentes campagnes de fouilles, avec une recherche plus particulièrement orientée vers les liaisons ostéologiques entre différentes unités stratigraphiques et/ou fonctionnelles. PDFpermalinkRecord Sheet
  • 419 - Marco Arizza - Iuno Srl . 2018. Un diverticolo dell’antica via Cornelia presso l’Ospedale IDI di Roma. This paper is aimed at describing the results of the excavations carried out between 2008 and 2011 in the Roman western suburbium, with the scientific supervision of the Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Roma. The site is located in the area of the Ospedale IDI (Istituto Dermopatico dell’Immacolata) and the investigations allowed us to identify the presence of evidences which can be dated back to the late Republican period and the second century AD. In particular, it has been possible to recognise a side road related to the ancient via Cornelia, along which five fossa tombs and a hydraulic channel were placed. It is possible that the complex of findings was connected with a settlement, probably a villa, located nearby the site. PDFpermalinkRecord Sheet
  • 418 - Romina Carboni, Marco Giuman - Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Dipartimento di Scienze Archeologiche e Storico Artistiche (ora Dipartimento di Storia, Beni Culturali e Territorio). 2018. Fasi di frequentazione e utilizzo degli spazi urbani a Nora: il quartiere meridionale nell’ex area militare tra l’età tardo-repubblicana e quella imperiale . The focus of this paper is to show the results of the researches in the southern neighborhood of the former military area of Roman city of Nora (Pula-CA). The excavations, carried out in this site by the University of Cagliari from 2013, brought to light finds and structures concerning a large area with buildings connected with different functions and constructive phases between the late Republican and late Imperial periods. PDFpermalinkRecord Sheet
  • 417 - Silvia Pallecchi-Università degli Studi di Genova. 2018. Pompei: indagini archeologiche nelle botteghe della regio VII Campagna 2016: (VII, 14, 1-3) . L’articolo presenta i risultati preliminari della prima campagna di indagini archeologiche condotta dall’Università degli Studi di Genova nell’area di alcune botteghe della regio VII, insula 14, prospicienti Via dell’Abbondanza. Scoperte prima del 1820, le botteghe furono interessate nella prima metà del XIX secolo da scavi che comportarono, talvolta, l’asportazione delle pavimentazioni relative alle ultime fasi di vita della città. Questa circostanza ha permesso alle nuove indagini di approfondire lo studio delle stratificazioni e di raccogliere una serie di interessanti informazioni sulle modalità e sui tempi dello sviluppo urbano in quell’area, oltre che sulle trasformazioni del suo utilizzo tra la fine del III secolo a.C. e l’eruzione del 79 d.C. Lo studio dei reperti e dei contesti individuati è ancora in corso e i dati, qui forniti in forma preliminare, saranno oggetto di una trattazione più estesa nell’ambito di una monografia dedicata al progetto. PDFpermalinkRecord Sheet
  • 416 - Angelo Castrorao Barba - Università degli Studi di Palermo, Roberto Miccichè, Filippo Pisciotta, Pasquale Marino, Giuseppe Bazan - Università degli Studi di Palermo, Carla Aleo Nero - Soprintendenza BB.CC.AA. di Palermo, Stefano Vassallo- Soprintendenza BB.CC.AA. di Palermo. 2018. Archeologia nel territorio dei Monti Sicani (Harvesting Memories project). L’insediamento di lunga durata di Contrada Castro (Corleone, Palermo). Prima campagna di scavo 2017. The “Harvesting Memories” project aims to address diachronic change in landscape and settlement patterns during the long-term in the area of Sicani Mountains in Central-West Sicily (Italy). This area is a sort of palimpsest of Mediterranean inland areas characterized by a long-term occupation of low-lying lands suitable for agriculture and hills for pastoral activities. The settlement dynamics of this inner area are well documented in the archaeological sequence of the hilltop site of Contrada Castro. Recent excavation (spring 2017) showed dry-stone structures related to the Islamic and Norman period (9th-12th c. AD), a Byzantine infant burial (7th-8th c. AD) and evidence (layer of morphology regularization and pottery) connected to an archaic indigenous settlement (6th-5th c. BC). The investigation of this new rural site provided relevant insights of longue durée patterns in hilltop settlements of Sicily between Antiquity and Middle Ages. PDFpermalinkRecord Sheet
  • 415 - Katherine V. Huntley - Boise State University, Hannah Friedman - Texas Tech University, Penelope A. Allison - Leicester University. 2018. Recovering the fragments of the Roman Colony of Libarna: Libarna Archaeological Project (LAP) Field Report, Season 1 . The Roman city of Libarna has the potential to add greater understanding of the social and cultural development of ur-ban life in northwest Italy, a relatively liminal geographical area between peninsular Roman Italy and its provinces. The Libarna Archaeological Project (LAP) used several geophysical survey methods to investigate Libarna’s urban plan, which is only currently known in fragments due to two hundred years of sporadic excavation and modern development. During a 3-week pilot season LAP was able to begin filling in the map of Libarna’s urban area using resistivity, magnetometry, GPR, and drone photogrammetry. PDFpermalinkRecord Sheet
  • 414 - Paolo Rondini- Università degli Studi di Pavia, Alberto Marretta - Parco Archeologico Comunale di Seradina – Bedolina, Capo di Ponte – BS, Maria Giuseppina Ruggiero. 2018. Nuove ricerche archeologiche a Capo di Ponte (Valle Camonica, BS): Dos dell’Arca e l’area dei “Quattro Dossi” . The archaeological area “Quattro Dossi” represents one of the most important protohistoric sites in Valle Camonica (BS). Discovered in the 1950s, and excavated in 1962 (dir. E. Anati), the small hill of Dos dell’Arca is the southernmost and the most well-known of the four rocky hills comprising the whole site. The excavations carried out in 1962 at Dos dell’Arca revealed evidence of the first human frequentation in the area, dating back to the Late Neolithic / Early Copper Age, as well as later phases of stable human presence in Middle-Late Bronze Age – the“Terramare” culture – and in the Second Iron Age, displaying cultural features of key importance to the alpine area of Lombardy. At this site 11 rock surfaces with prehistoric engravings were also documented. The engraved figures date to two main periods: the Late Neolithic/Chalcolithic and the Iron Age, and are of great iconographic interest, especially considering three of them were found below archaeological context. Thanks to a survey project, carried out from 2015 to 2017 by the University of Pavia in collaboration with Soprintendenza Archeologia della Lombardia, several new engraved rocks have been discovered in the “Quattro Dossi” area. This paper presents the new findings in Dos dell’Arca, amounting to a total of 24 new engraved rocks, all located around the perimeter of the previous excavations. Of these rocks, three are fully documented: n. 24 – sector A displays scenes of major relevance to the iconography of the Iron Age, with a peculiar depiction of a single-pillared hut, animals, warriors and horsemen carrying shields, spears and swords, while in sector B, there is a geometric configuration of lines and shapes generally believed to be “topographical” and dated to the Late Neolithic or Early Copper Age. Rock 28, datable to the Iron Age, shows a huge anthropomorphic figure with arms held high and what appears to be helmet, below two figures of palette, a symbol often related to funerary practices, while Rock 33 only presents geometric elements, abstract motifs usually dated to Late Neolithic/Early Copper Age. PDFpermalinkRecord Sheet
  • 413 - Alessandro Sebastiani- University at Buffalo – SUNY, Fabiana Fabbri, Valentina Trotta, Edoardo Vanni. 2018. The First Archaeological Season at Podere Cannicci (Civitella Paganico - GR) . The aim of this paper is to present the preliminary results of the first archaeological season (May-June 2017) at the ar-chaeological site of Podere Cannicci (Civitella Paganico – GR). The excavations focused on a new small portion of a Ro-man settlement, previously investigated by the Soprintendenza Archeologia Toscana in the 1990s. The research revealed the existence of other functional spaces belonging to the settlement, which was interpreted as the pars rustica of a villa. Our research brought to light a blacksmith’s workshop and some other facilities that were in use between the 3rd c. BC and the years of the Second Civil War (beginning of the 1st c. BC). The paper also offers a reassessment of the archaeological data of the earlier excavation seasons (1989-1990), as well as a preliminary overview of the territory of Civitella Paganico in the Roman period. PDFpermalinkRecord Sheet
  • 412 - Martin O.H. Carver, Department of Archaeology, University of York, Alessandra Molinari, Veronica Aniceti , Francesca Colangeli, Università di Roma Tor Vergata, Nicoletta Giannini,Università di Roma Tor Vergata, Fabio Giovannini,Università di Foggia, Madeleine Hummler, University of York, Claudio F. Mangiaracina, Antonino Meo Università di Sassari, Paola Orecchioni, Università di Roma Tor Vergata. 2018. Sicily in transition Interim report of investigations at Castronovo di Sicilia 2016 . La città di Castronovo di Sicilia (PA) e i suoi dintorni sono attualmente oggetto di ricerche archeologiche condotte dalle università di York, Roma e Lecce in collaborazione con la Soprintendenza per i Beni culturali e ambientali di Palermo e con il sostegno del Comune di Castronovo. Quattro diversi insediamenti sono stati indagati per mezzo di prospezioni e scavi. Sul Monte Kassar, interpretabile, allo stato attuale delle ricerche, come una fortezza bizantina dell’ VIII–IX secolo, nel 2015 sono state individuate strutture con funzione abitativa all’interno e in appoggio alle fortificazioni, mentre nel 2016 sono stati scavati i resti di una “casaforte” (la cosiddetta “casermetta"). Sul Colle San Vitale, i ruderi delle strutture medievali ancora in piedi sono stati oggetto di una prospezione di alta precisione, come anche la città vecchia di Castronovo, dove anche sono stati individuate e cartografate le acque sotterranee e un sistema di irrigazione. Infine, a Casale San Pietro, nella pianura vicino a Castronovo e sulle rive del fiume Platani, un insediamento esteso di epoca tardoromana e bizantina (orientativamente dei secoli V–VII secolo) è stato parzialmente identificato attraverso prospezioni geofisiche, raccolte di superficie e sondaggi. Nel 2015 e 2016 è stato possibile dimostrare in un’area di scavo (Int 5) che l’insediamento di epoca bizantina (la cosiddetta agro-town) è stato rioccupato da uno di epoca islamica e normanna (IX–XII secolo). L’attuale campagna di ricerche sul Medioevo nel Comune di Castronovo di Sicilia (PA) è stata avviata nel 2014 e proseguita nel 2015. Nel corso del 2016, queste indagini hanno assunto un ruolo centrale nel progetto più ampio finanziato dall’European Research Council (SICTRANSIT). L’obiettivo centrale di questo progetto è di comprendere il carattere delle trasformazioni economiche, ambientali e sociali dell’intera Sicilia tra il VI e il XIII secolo . La relazione che segue presenta i risultati ottenuti nel 2016 a Castronovo nei quattro insediamenti principali e una breve descrizione delle ricerche in corso sulla ceramica, la fauna, e i reperti particolari effettuata dai responsabili delle loro analisi. Infine, si conclude con una valutazione del significato della campagna del 2016 e uno sguardo alle prossime tappe del progetto. PDFpermalinkRecord Sheet
  • 411 - Salvatore De Vincenzo. 2018. Indagini archeologiche nel foro della colonia romana di Liternum. Liternum is one of five Roman colonies founded in 194 BC. Within the scope of a new research project regarding the de-velopment of the forum of Liternum, the basilica, as well as the podium of the capitolium and the space between the po-dium and the odeion, have been excavated. The stratigraphic investigations revealed five construction phases. The first phase is evidenced by the temple of the forum. The second phase comprises the construction of the basilica and of the buildings north of the podium, which were built in opus quasi reticulatum. They should be dated to the beginning of the 1st century BC. Within the third phase, in the Augustan period, the monumentalization of the forum with the encompassing porticus took place. In the late years of Domitian's rule, the capitolium was rebuilt and given a new architectonic decoration. The odeion was built in the last construction phase during the middle imperial period. Keywords: Liternum, Roman colonies, Roman basilica, Fora, Capitolium PDFpermalinkRecord Sheet
  • 410 - Fabio Fabiani - Dipartimento di Civiltà e Forme del Sapere - Università di Pisa., Salvatore Basile- Università di Pisa, Antonio Campus-Scuola di Specializzazione in Archeologia , Giuseppe Clemente. 2018. Indagini archeologiche alle Terme “di Nerone” a Pisa: ricerca, didattica, valorizzazione . The first archaeological campaign at the so-called Terme di Nerone in Pisa took place in the months of June and July 2017; this is the only Roman period building in Pisa that has kept his monumental structure until present time. The investigations carried out between the end of the nineteenth and the first half of the twentieth century left many gaps in the understanding of this monument: its floor plan, the destination of some of its spaces, its relationship with the city context, its dating, which is generically set between the I and the II centuries AD, and the knowledge of its late-antique and medieval life, which were totally ignored in the past. The excavation brought to light new spaces and new data on the building’s architecture; a necropolis occupying the ruins of the building during the late-antiquity was also identified. Finally, the research focused on the medieval and modern buildings that had incorporated the ancient structures, changing several times the urban landscape of this district of the town. Keywords: Pisa, Tuscany, Roman bath, Roman architecture and urbanism PDFpermalinkRecord Sheet
  • 409 - Paolo Storchi- Sapienza Università di Roma, A. Pansini - –Sapienza Università di Roma . 2018. La ripresa degli scavi al Castellazzo di Taneto: note preliminari su una struttura fortificata Altomedievale nel Regno Italico. In Late-Antiquity several cities became small villages and then disappeared in Italy. As for the Regio Octava, this situation is evident if we compare Pliny’s list of the cities in Aemilia (first century AD) with that of the early-medieval dioceses: 12/24 cities disappeared. Tannetum is one of those centres and the “Tannetum archaeological project’ (Sapienza Università di Roma in collaboration with Syddansk Universitet of Odense) aim is the historical reconstruction of the evolution of Enza River district, Po Valley (RE, Italy). In 2017 a defensive structure was excavated in a place named “Castellazzo”. This area had been surveyed in the Fifties, but these excavations failed to solve the historical enigma of what this fortress was or how old may it be. The 2017 survey revealed some new fundamental clues fot the datation of the structure and new data about the building tecnique and constructive phases. This seems to be one of the oldest castles in the area: a c14 analysis date it at the IX Century. This study addresses the origin of this building to the policy uncertainty of Italy in that period more than to the “barbarian invasions” that took place only some decades later. PDFpermalinkRecord Sheet
  • 408 - Alex Walthall, Randall Souza - Seattle University , Jared Benton, Elizabeth Wueste. 2018. Preliminary Report on the 2015 Field Season of the American Excavations at Morgantina: Contrada Agnese Project (CAP). In its third season, the Contrada Agnese Project (CAP) continued archaeological investigations in the remains of a building, located near the western margins of the ancient urban center of Morgantina. In 2015, excavations opened a larger portion of the so-called Southeast Building, extending from the trenches opened during the 2014 season. These investigations yielded evidence from construction trenches and sub-floor fills that now allow a preliminary dating of the building’s phases. The building appears to have had a short life, having been built and abandoned within fewer than 75 years, beginning around the middle of the third century BCE. New architectural features were revealed by the 2015 excavations, including columns composed of terracotta drums and a small oven set in the corner of a central room, indications of monumental decoration and food production, respectively. This combination of monumentality and small-scale production leads excavators to identify the building as a modest house, but further excavations will be needed to fully characterize its form and function. PDFpermalinkRecord Sheet
  • 407 - Paolo Brocato, Luciano Altomare - Università della Calabria. 2018. Nuovi scavi nell’abitato del Timpone della Motta di Francavilla Marittima (CS): risultati preliminari della campagna 2017. PDFpermalinkRecord Sheet
  • 406 - Marco Camera - Università degli Studi di Catania. 2018. Gli scavi nell’area delle fortificazioni settentrionali di Leontinoi. The historian Polybius describes the ancient Leontinoi as lying in a valley between two precipitous hills and facing North. The city was defended by a city wall and at each end of the valley there was a gate, the northern gate leading to the plain, the southern leading to Syracuse. At the northern end of the valle San Mauro, archaeological research between 1987 and 1995 led to the discovery of the remains of the northern fortifications. During archaeological excavations carried out systematically since 2009 the foundation levels of the fortifications were investigated, finding ceramics dating to the late fourth or early third century BC. The new data allow us to develop some hypotheses on the organization of an important sector of Hellenistic fortifications and on their spoliation between the Roman conquest of the city in the late III century B.C. and Late Antiquity. PDFpermalinkRecord Sheet
  • 405 - Giuseppe Lepore- Università degli Studi di Bologna, Dipartimento di Storia Culture Civiltà - Sezione di Archeologia, Giuseppe Parello, Enrico Giorgi, Federica Boschi - Università di Bologna, Michele Silani - Università di Bologna, Michele Scalici, Vincenzo Baldoni - Università di Bologna, Enrico Cirelli - Università di Bologna. 2018. Agrigento I: nuove ricerche nell'insula III del quartiere ellenistico-romano (2016-2017) . The so-called Ellenistic-Roman District of Agrigento is the widest area of the known ancient household. Its investigation began in the second half of the 19th century and continues untill today. The excavations have brought to light in an area of approx. 2 acres, part of 4 Insulae concerning the urban system. It is lo-cated in a central position, near the pubblic and religious areas: the forum/agora and the theater. Starting in 2016, the Uni-versity of Bologna, in collaboration with the Valle dei Templi Archaeological and Landscape Park of Agrigento, has under-taken a research project on the so-called 3rd Insula: during the first year the previous documentation, plans and drawings were recovered, as well as objects from the excavations of the 1950s, finally organized and that is being cataloged. At the same time, a new survey was carried out using modern technologies and a systematic campaign of non-invasive investiga-tions. During the second year, has been agreed a comprehensive program of investigative surveys, to answer some ques-tions about urban planning, mainly related to the structure of housing and chronology of the different levels of settlement. The recovered data, even if still under study, represent something new about the lifestyle in Greek, Hellenistic, Roman and Late Antiquity: the evidences found, in fact, demonstrate without a doubt that this sector of the city was established starting from the first half of the 6th century BCE and that the permanent occupation lasted at least until the 5th century CE with a prolonged presence that, in different forms, continues at least until the 8th century CE. PDFpermalinkRecord Sheet
  • 404 - Andrea Raffaele Ghiotto Università degli Studi di Padova - Dipartimento dei Beni Culturali, Simone Berto- Università degli Studi di Padova - Dipartimento dei Beni Culturali, Rita Deiana- Università di Padova, Dipartimento dei Beni Culturali, Giulia Fioratto- Università degli Studi di Padova - Dipartimento dei Beni Culturali, Guido Furlan- Università di Padova, Dipartimento dei Beni Culturali. 2018. Il teatro romano di Aquileia: l’individuazione dell’edificio e lo scavo della cavea . The paper provides a preliminary report on the 2015-2017 excavations carried out by the Department of Cultural Heritage, Università di Padova, in the area named Fondi ex Comelli-Moro, in Aquileia. The investigations led to the discovery of the theatre of the ancient city, whose approximate location had been previously conjectured by Luisa Bertacchi. Following archive research and geophysical prospections, the excavations focused on the area occupied by the cavea foundations, revealing their overall dimensions (width of about 95 m) and architectural layout: the summa and media cavea were supported by series of radial walls, while the ima cavea was made of one single, bulky concrete casting. The excavation also provided insights on the area surrounding the theatre and on the activities which were carried out within the building once it ceased to be used for performances, particularly metalworking. PDFpermalinkRecord Sheet
  • 403 - Maurizio Fascitiello. 2018. The Excavation of Villa C at Casale Dragoncello (Acilia). Questo studio riguarda l’area del Dragoncello, nel suburbio ostiense, presso la moderna cittadina di Acilia. Gli scavi con-dotti sin dagli anni ’80 dello scorso secolo hanno portato alla luce fattorie e grandi ville rustiche che delineano l’interesse della classe romana abbiente per quest’area. Lo scavo della Villa C, la più grande attualmente nota in questo territorio, con il suo monumentale quadriportico doppio, è un altro tassello fondamentale alla comprensione di un’area di enorme interesse archeologico e storico, a poca distanza dall’Urbe. PDFpermalinkRecord Sheet
  • 402 - Barbara Maurina. 2018. Frammenti di intonaco e stucco rinvenuti nello scavo della domus Publica sul Palatino a Roma . The author presents a set of wall fresco and stucco fragments unearthed during the archaeological excavations carried out in the years 1990-1995 by Andrea Carandini in the area of the domus Publica on the Palatine Hill in Rome. They come from dump layers that have been deposited in order to obliterate demolished structures and raise the floor levels of the site. Most of them have a monochrome surface that is not useful for classification, but the analysis of the technique features and the ornamental repertoire of the decorated ones allowed the identification of different stylistic periods. In particular, a small amount of fragments can be assigned to the first Pompeian style, while the most of them have been divided into different units attributable to various phases of the second style. Very significant in the chronology of the context is the presence of fragments that can be ascribed to the transition phase from the second to the third Pompeian style (20-10 B.C.). There are also three different types of stucco mouldings. Key-words: Rome, Palatin Hill, fresco wall paintings, stucco mouldings, first style, second style, transition phase. PDFpermalinkRecord Sheet
  • 401 - Fabrizio Mollo- Dipartimento di Civiltà Antiche e Moderne, Università degli Studi di Messina, V. Casella, G. Calonico , E. Donato, A. Laino , M. Puglisi , E. Rizzo, P. Siclari , M. Sergi , M. Sfacteria. 2018. Le ricerche archeologiche nel Foro di Blanda sul Palecastro di Tortora (CS). Campagna di scavo 2017. In June 2017, the DICAM of the University of Messina carried out a new campaign of archaeological excavations at the site of Blanda Julia (Tortora, CS). The investigations concerned the areas partially excavated in 2016 to better understand the development of the city Forum (areas 1000, 3000 and 4000), and a new area (6000) between the Plateia A and the three buildings on the south side of the Forum (temples A, B and the Capitolium).These new investigations helped us to define the Forum plan and its relationship with the residential area and, as regards area 6000, to shed new light on the archaic phase of the settlement on the Palecastro hill. PDFpermalinkRecord Sheet
  • 400 - Alessia Contino, Gert-Jan Burgers, Lucilla D’Alessandro, Valerio De Leonardis , Sara Della Ricca , Raphaëlle-Anne Kok-Merlino, Renato Sebastiani. 2018. The afterlife of the Porticus Aemilia. I resti della Porticus Aemilia hanno caratterizzato nei secoli, insieme al Monte Testaccio e alle Mura Aureliane, il paesaggio della pianura subaventina, racchiuso tra le vie Florio, Branca, Rubattino e Vespucci. Tra il 2011 e il 2013, all’interno di un progetto di ricerca e valorizzazione coordinato dalla Soprintendenza, sono state effet-tuate tre campagne di scavo. Le indagini, in collaborazione con il KNIR, hanno permesso di acquisire nuovi dati sulla la vita e le modificazioni dell’edificio nel corso dei secoli. Secondo le fonti letterarie (Liv. 35.10.12; Liv. 41.27.8) nel 193 a.C. gli edili curuli M. Aemilius Lepidus e L. Aemilius Paulus promossero nell’area libera della Piana Subaventina, la realizzazione di un nuovo porto fluviale (Emporium) e di una grande costruzione ad esso connessa, la Porticus Aemilia; i lavori per l’edificazione di tale struttura si conclusero probabilmente attorno al 174 a.C. ad opera dei censori Q. Fulvius Flaccus e A. Postumius Albinus. Tradizionalmente identificato come edificio di stoccaggio, la Porticus è stata oggetto negli anni di altre proposte interpretative e funzionali, fra cui quella di struttura connessa ai controlli fiscali sugli approvvigionamenti e quella di darsena militare sul Tevere (Navalia). Lo scavo non ha incontrato i livelli repubblicani, probabilmente asportati in antico, ma ha potuto documentare l’architettura dell’edificio originari. La Porticus Aemilia venne interessata da ristrutturazioni, tra la fine del I d.C.-inizio del II sec. d.C. e il III d.C., volte a suddividere le navate in vani più piccoli, destinati probabilmente allo stoccaggio o ad attività manifatturiere. Tra la fine del IV d.C. e il VI d.C., la piana subaventina subì un processo di “ruralizzazione” e gli edifici furono progressivamente abbandonati. Anche la Porticus Aemilia subì lo stesso destino, come testimoniano i crolli rinvenuti nel corso degli scavi e le sepolture in anfora addossate alla struttura. Durante il lungo periodo di abbandono l’edificio, ridotto a rudere, si integrava nel paesaggio medievale e rinascimentale della piana, costituito prima da spazi rurali adibiti a orti e giardini suburbani e poi da vigneti e frutteti. Tra la fine del 1800 e il 1900, quando l’area subì un nuovo processo di edificazione con la costruzione del quartiere popolare, i resti della Porticus accolsero nel tempo una vetreria, di cui resta traccia nei molti reperti rinvenuti durante gli scavi, ma anche un deposito di acque minerali e persino una carrozzeria, cadendo nell’incuria e nel degrado fino al recente recupero. È parte del Museo Diffuso del Rione Testaccio, che comprende anche il Mercato di Testaccio e l’Emporium. PDFpermalinkRecord Sheet