The University of Genova, in collaboration with the Universities of Milano, Padova and Viterbo, has been excavating the site of the ancient town of Nora since 1990. From 1996, the excavations have concentrated on the north-western zone of the town, occupied and urbanised by the Carthaginians at the end of the 6th century B.C. Here, a craft-working quarter developed (Area C), which immediately gave the town a commercial role. This function, documented for the 4th-3rd century B.C. by a _garum_ maker’s shop, continued until the area became residential (end of the 2nd-1st century B.C.). During the 2nd century A.D., the area underwent a first monumentalisation, the evidence for which is difficult to identify as it was heavily cut by the Severan intervention (partially excavated last century by G. Pesce). It was Pesce who uncovered a multipurpose commercial structure, the so-called _macellum/hospitium_, the Small baths, and a series of houses; although a part of the data relating to the later phases has been lost. From 2010, as restoration project began on the Small Baths, a series of excavations and test trenches have been undertaken both inside the baths and in the vicinity, in order to clarify their phasing and chronology. The Small Baths are built on top of earlier dwellings (quarter A-B), making use of their walls. In the Severan period, they had a simple layout made up of a _frigidarium_, two _tepidaria_, one _calidarium_. An _apodyterium_, a corridor and monumental entrance were added during the 4th century A.D. The baths went out of use and were partially reoccupied for residential purposes (?) and finally transformed into a craft-working area with kilns both in the _frigidarium_ and _tepidaria_ pools. In the area to the north a new residential quarter was created, which represented the final phase of the town’s life (7th-8th century A.D.). In 2012, the excavation concentrated on the road E-F crossing the quarter, parallel to another road (G-H), which borders the area on the coastal side. A stretch of paved road was exposed and two manholes for the sewers below were identified. In particular, the intervention concentrated on a structure (so-called room A), known from previous seasons (1992-93), relating to this final phase of Nora’s urbanisation. The excavation showed that, contrary to road G-H-, which remained in function, this road, perhaps the result of a Severan intervention, went out of use in the 5th century A.D. This event was attested by the presence of an almost uniform layer of soil and sand covering the paved surface. The walls from the houses along the sides of this road were also abandoned at the end of the 5th century A.D. and collapsed onto this natural surface. In the 7th century, the levelling of the abandonment layer and construction of room A attest the site’s reoccupation. This room was part of a larger house relating to the final phase of urbanisation, traces of which were also documented close to the Small Baths. The town’s end probably came at the time of the Arab invasion of Campidano (753 A.D.).

Dal 1990 l’Università degli Studi di Genova è impegnata sul sito dell’antica città di Nora grazie ad una convenzione stipulata con la Soprintendenza per i Beni archeologici per le province di Cagliari e Oristano e nell’ambito di un piano di cooperazione interuniversitario sviluppato con gli Atenei di Milano, Padova, Viterbo. Dal 1996 le indagini dell’Ateneo genovese si sono concentrate nella zona nord-occidentale della città, occupata ed urbanizzata con l’arrivo cartaginese alla fine del VI sec.a.C.; qui si sviluppa un quartiere artigianale (Area C), che da subito ha una forte valenza commerciale. Questa funzione, documentata per il IV-III sec.a.C. da un’officina di garum, è mantenuta fino alla trasformazione in area abitativa (fine II-I sec.a.C.), che subirà una prima monumentalizzazione, non facilmente individuabile, nel corso del II sec.d.C. Il posteriore intervento severiano ne intacca profondamente le evidenze, in parte già scavate nel secolo scorso. Si deve a G. Pesce la messa in luce di una struttura commerciale polivalente, il cd. macellum/hospitium, che nella prima fase è in realtà un horreum, delle Piccole Terme e di una serie di abitazioni. Una parte dei dati relativi alle fasi più recenti sono andati persi, ma la campagna di scavo del 2012 conferma un vitalità della città ed in particolare del quartiere nord-occidentale fino alla metà dell’VIII sec.d.C. Dal 2010, in occasione dei restauri delle Piccole Terme, si sono effettuati una serie di scavi e saggi sia all’interno dell’edificio termale sia nelle sue vicinanze per chiarirne fasi e cronologia. Le Piccole Terme si impostano su precedenti abitazioni (quartiere A-B), sfruttandone le murature; dapprima con un impianto semplice ( frigidarium, due tepidaria, un calidarium ) (età severiana). Nel IV sec.d.C. si aggiunge un apodyterium, un corridoio e un ingresso monumentale. L’abbandono della funzione termale vede una parziale rioccupazione con funzioni abitative (?) e infine un’ulteriore trasformazione (VI sec. d.C.) in area artigianale con fornaci sia nella vasca del frigidarium che nei tepidaria (di queste ultime restano solo labili tracce). Nel 2013 è stata indagato l’interno della vasca del frigidarium, che per tre quarti risulta occupato da una fornace: si sono scavati tre piani di cottura (Fornace 1-3) sovrapposti in rapida successione, che prevedevano una profonda azione di pulitura tra l’uno e l’altro; di conseguenza la mancanza di reperti non permette una cronologia dell’uso. Invece tra la Fornace 3 e quella sottostante (Fornace 4) si trova uno spesso strato di terreno combusto contenente frr. ceramici, scorie di vetro, ossi, indizio di un probabile periodo di abbandono. Inoltre questa fornace a differenza delle tre superiori circolari, ha un impianto quadrangolare di maggiori dimensioni. Lo scavo si è interrotto a questo livello, ma è proseguito nella zona della vasca non occupata dalla fornace. Qui probabilmente era già intervenuto G.Pesce negli anno 60 del secolo scorso, giungendo a portare in luce un tratto di pavimentazione laterizia originaria della vasca, con la conseguente perdita di dati stratigrafici utili all’inquadramento cronologico. Nel contesto della stessa campagna si è provveduto al restauro pavimentale dei due tepidaria delle Piccole Terme, procedendo con erbicida, consolidanti ed integrazione e, dove ancora presenti, si sono restaurate le pilae delle suspensurae. Questa area è stata coperta con tessuto non tessuto e con strati differenti di ghiaia (più chiari per indicare vani interni; più scuri per individuare spazi aperti e /o di passaggio); la stessa metodologia conservativa è stata seguita anche per permettere la fruizione da parte dei visitatori del Parco archeologico delle fauces delle Piccole Terme e dell’ambitus (Area C/C1).

Since 1990, Genoa University has been excavating on the site of Nora as part of a project involving the universities of Milan, Padua, and Viterbo. From 1996 onwards, the excavations have been concentrated in the northern area of the city that was occupied and urbanised at the end of the 6th century B.C. Here, G. Pesce’s excavations last century uncovered the Severan phase: the so-called _macellum_/_hospitium_, the Small Baths, and several houses, but caused the destruction of the data relating to the post 3rd century B.C. occupation. In 2010, the new restoration work on the mosaic floors in the Small Baths provided the occasion for the opening of _sondages_ inside and outside the structure in order to check the chronological phases. The Small Baths were built at the 3rd century A.D. on a residential area. The first complex was simple (_frigidarium_, two _tepidaria_, _calidarium_) and was monumentalised in the 4th century, when an _apodyterium_, a corridor, and an entrance were added. The baths ceased to function as such and were partially reoccupied for residential purposes and lastly were transformed (6th century A.D.) into workshops with kilns in the _frigidarium_ pool and the _tepidaria_. The 2014 campaign excavated the _frigidarium_ pool, where it was possible to identify the build-up of structures beginning with the earliest square kiln that after a short period of use was substituted by a rapid succession of three kilns and related make-ups. This kiln was installed after the baths went out of use, but after a period of time and some sporadic occupation. This sequence was shown by the collapse of the pool’s marble sides underneath the earliest kiln phase. It was seen that following a first abandonment, the floor of the pool was robbed out, except for the parts to the sides that were more difficult to remove, while a small smelting kiln (bronze residue) was built in one corner and a small tank installed in the opposite one. Also in 2014 test trenches were dug prior to the construction of a roof to protect the _apodyterium_ mosaic. The evidence from these trenches confirmed that the bath building was constructed on top of a _domus_, beside the road to the port, from one of which a section of the _viridarium_ pool was recovered. This season also saw the continuation of the excavations to bring to light towards the north the basalt-paved road E-F that crossed the quarter, parallel to another road (G-H), which bordered the area on the coastal side. The 2012 excavations had identified two manhole covers from the sewer network and seen that the road travelled north-west suggesting that it was not the main road between Nora and Cagliari, but another internal route towards the landing place and port that must have been situated on the lagoon where the modern fishing port lies.

The 2015 campaign concentrated on investigations linked to the forthcoming publication of the Small Baths, with the aim of obtaining results that would help trace this building’s long life, which began with its construction in the Severan period. Its structures remained in use with various functions until at least the 7th century A.D. Many questions remained to be answered about the first building and the restructuring of the baths, as Pesce’s excavations left very little documentation. However, it was seen that the building did not collapse but was continually robbed although several rooms continued to be used, both as residential spaces and as areas occupied by modest craft-working activities. Two adjacent rooms on the via del porto, which did not appear to present any evidence of a particular function, were investigated. The south room has always been part of the baths. In phase I, it was an area surrounded by a portico, of which the squared blocks interpretable as column bases were present in the north-east and south-west corners. In phase II, at a higher level, a sewer was built which led to the almost complete removal of the earlier paving. Following the sewer construction, a beaten mortar surface was laid over a substantial make up, on which the two steps constituting the monumental alteration to the entrance were built. Interventions, some recent, have damaged the complex making any clear interpretation difficult. The north room was a continuation of the portico, which was interrupted by the construction of the two walls to the east and west. Clearly abutting the walls of the _tepidarium_, they represent a late restructuring, when the warm room had lost its original function. It was possible to identify the layers of dumped soil into which these two structures were cut and therefore it is hoped that the study of the materials recovered from the layers will suggest a date for the foundations. The aim of the 2015 campaign was the complete excavation of the _praefurnium_ room. Here, a floor surface relating to the main function of this zone was identified. Evidence of a series of rebuilds was also clear. These resulted in the raising of the mouth of the _praefurnium_: in this case too it also difficult to get an absolute chronology due to the lack of data from the earlier excavations. A square hole (1 m2), was excavated to the south of the _praefurnium_ opening. It contained ash and various archaeological materials and was interpreted as a structure relating to maintaining and feeding the fire (cf. bath building at San Giovanni Incarico-Frosinone). It was also seen that the _praefurnium_ was built on a thick layer of dumped earth, obliterating and razing an imposing wall on an east-west alignment. The threshold to the room was built on a part of this wall.

Nora, north-western quarter. The 2016 excavations aimed to rediscover and check the data that emerged in recent years, with a view to inserting the Small Baths within the context of the quarter. Therefore, investigations continued in the entrance area of the baths (phase II: 4th century A.D.), rediscovering the cobblestone floor, although only in small patches, that was originally in the porticoed area. This portico, open onto the road towards the northern port and later incorporated into the bath complex, was originally paved with cobblestones. It was in use for a long period, as attested by the various interventions to repave the area, all cut by the large sewer that served the Small Baths and was built at the same time as the monumental restructuring (Phase II). The cobblestone paving was slightly humped in order to allow rainwater drainage. It was built on layers of dumped material used to level the terrain, which contained finds datable to the 1st century A.D. (_terminus_ _post_ _quem_). The excavations showed that this space was not physically separated from the so-called _macellum_ or _Insula_ A, in the 4th century A.D. phase. Consequently, exploration began in the adjacent room (D10) in order to understand the relationship between the two buildings. The so-called _macellum_ had a first phase in the Severan period when it functioned as a _horreum_. When it was enlarged in the 4th century A.D., it incorporated a number of _domus_ facing onto the portico of the port road, which were transformed into shops with dwellings on the upper floor. The connection with the Small Baths was evident, as they were functional precisely to this _Insula_ A, to the south of which the majestic and public seaward baths stood. The excavations uncovered the roof collapse, parts of the upper walls of the room (D10), and several late interventions (7th century A.D.). This was a temporary timber structure, used after a period of abandonment (6th century A.D.?), attested by a layer of Aeolian sand, which also emerged in other parts of the quarter dating to the same period.

The 2017 campaign aimed to recover and check the data that emerged in recent years, with a view to reconstructing the chronological seriation of the quarter’s life. For this reason, the investigation continued in room D10 (2016), enlarging the area in order to understand the relationship between the so-called _macellum_ and the Small Baths, and therefore reconstruct the area’s urban fabric prior to the intervention on the baths complex in the Severan period. A craft working space was identified, perhaps a _pistrinum_? with a carriage gateway facing onto the portico of the port road and a lateral pedestrian entrance. Unfortunately, the weather conditions prevented further excavation to confirm the structure’s function, suggested by the presence of two stone circles that could have been rests for millstones. The investigation of the area behind the bath building also continued, where in 2014 a specific intervention took place in order to permit the construction of a covering for the _apodyterium_ mosaic. In 2011, three sides of a room were identified here, one formed by a mud-brick partition wall, plastered in white with a red and blue band. This year, the fourth side of the room was identified. The room was used to dump building materials from the adjacent bath building when no longer in use (5th century A.D.?). After a period of abandonment a wall was built, more or less without foundations (directly on the earth), which, together with the other elements associated with it, represents the quarter’s latest occupation period. In order to understand the quarter’s later phases, the visible remains were surveyed using a total station and a new excavation area was chosen (C2) in a space which should not have been touched by previous research. The area was surrounded by walls inside which several layers containing abundant building material were identified, relating to a gradual collapse, continued dumping and the partial robbing of the remains. This season’s excavations represent only a part of a much wider research programme; the results must be read in relationship both to the stratigraphy and to the information provided by the finds study.

Although this season was hampered by bad weather, work continued on the investigation begun in 2017 and this involved the enlargement of the excavation area in order to gain a better understanding of the diachronic evolution of the quarter. Therefore, in order to gain a better understanding of the space and artisan activity in the structure identified last year (_pistrinum_?), excavation continued in the nearby corridor of the so-called _macellum_ (room D11), which led to the discovery of the probable south perimeter wall of the workshop, razed prior to the construction of the _macellum_-_Insula_ A. The layers of fill and levelling relating to the construction of the wall that is now visible were determinant, based on the finds, with a _terminus_ post_ _quem_ of the 3rd century A.D., therefore confirming the chronology known from the literary sources. This season’s campaign also completed the excavation of the fourth side of the room, plastered in white with red and blue bands, identified in 2011 to the rear of the Small Baths (Area PT/RG). The entrance to the room was identified; whose modest size and plain decoration suggest could have been a service room. In any case, the residential nature of this zone in which the baths stood was confirmed. The room seemed to continue in use for as long as the baths remained in use. In fact, when the baths went out of use the room became a dump for building rubble and rubbish. For safety reasons it was not possible to deepen the excavation here any further, therefore it was decided to extend the area to the north (Are PT/RA). Unfortunately, bad weather meant that only initial cleaning took place. The new area towards the north (Area C2), opened in 2017, was extended. In the area where several walls were present, one of which the north wall of the room identified in the previous campaign, two more walls on an east-west alignment were uncovered, which had collapsed and been partially robbed. New walls were built on top of them, indicating substantial reorganisation. The new layout of the area involved the blocking with reused material of the door into the room mentioned above, which opened to the east. At the same time, a rough floor of beaten earth was created, reinforced with small stones and tile fragments laid flat and the room was divided by a wattle and daub partition wall. Subsequently, the area probably went out of use and the structures gradually degraded, and in some cases collapsed. The relative chronology appears to be clear, but only the study of the finds will provide an absolute chronology. In fact, these results represent only a part of a wider research project and will have to be interpreted by taking into account not only the stratigraphy of the excavated areas but also the information provided by the finds study.

The 2019 campaign involved the stratigraphic analysis of the walls on the western slopes of the Tanit Hill and further research in area C2, already partially investigated during the 2017 and 2018 campaigns. Below the structural remains of a phase characterised by modest buildings in mud and wood, the excavations revealed clear traces of an abandonment phase. The preliminary cataloguing of the materials from these contexts indicates they date to the period between the late 4th and the 5th centuries A.D. In this period, several substantial dumps of building rubble were deposited in this area. Part of these materials probably accumulated during the collapse of structures built in preceding periods that occurred over time. Other accumulations probably relate to the robbing of the standing walls: some negative traces of these actions were clearly visible in the razing of the walls and in the surrounding stratigraphy. In the central part of the trench, the partial removal of the floor surfaces and layers of collapse revealed the presence of a vertical shaft, sealed in antiquity, which provided access to an underground space. This space was partially filled and can probably be identified as a “bath-tub” shaped cistern. The present size of the opening to the shaft did not make it possible to enter the cavity, which was inspected using photography and video images. Entrance to the cavity and the study of the stratigraphy within will take place during 2020 campaign.