Season Team

• AIAC_1874 - La Civitucola - 2001
  Geophysical and topographical survey was undertaken at Capena, which forms part of the ‘Roman Towns in the Middle and Lower Tiber Valley Project’. The results build upon earlier work, and provide new information about the layout and development of the site between c. the eighth century BC and the late antique period. The geophysics revealed that the ancient settlement was structured around a road system that followed the ridge of La Civitucola, with branch roads opening off it. They also suggest that in the archaic period the site probably occupied some 3 ha, expanding to c. 8.7 ha under the Republic and then contracting to c. 6 ha in the Imperial period. Ancient structures appear at the western end of the site, around the standing structure of Il Castellaccio, where they are possibly related to the forum of the town, and at a much lower level at the eastern end of the site. Overall the results suggest that while Capena may have been a relatively small town when compared to centres like Falerii Novi, it was probably still quite densely occupied and played an important regional administrative role.
• AIAC_1897 - Porto - 2003
  The geophysics work around Trajan’s harbour began in 1998, and has since been completed. The magnetometry results revealed: • A plan of the ‘Imperial Palace’ and its associated warehouses • A series of warehouses fronting the port • A part of the massive defensive wall circuit • The port’s major aqueduct, the location of which was previously unknown • Details of buildings to the southwest of the harbour, surrounding the basilica site and lining the canal which connects the harbour to the Fosse Traiana • More evidence for land reclaimation and property divisions at the confluence of the Tiber and Fossa Traiana.
• AIAC_2214 - Forum Cassii - 2003
  This survey was undertaken as part of the Roman Towns in the Middle and Lower Tiber Valley Project. The work forms part of the British School at Rome’s broader Tiber Valley Project. The survey of _Forum Cassii_ confirms the impression gained from previous work that the settlement is both small and dispersed. Work in the northern part of the site, already identified as the main focus of settlement, was disappointing, as it failed to locate further structures. However, the absence of major buildings and the total lack of surface finds suggests that the site was not a large settlement centre. Despite the small scale of survey work undertaken in this part of the site, the team examined much of the remainder of the area, so the absence of surface evidence of settlement probably can be upon. In the area to the south, the discovery of a major terrace and the line of the Via Cassia, together with a series of probably funerary monuments, enhances our understanding of the site. Finally, the enclosure to the north of the church perhaps provides evidence for the earlier medieval period.
• AIAC_62 - Otricoli - 2005
  A new understanding of the overall layout and development of Ocriculum (modern Otricoli) is gradually emerging through the combination of results from the different methods used including topography, magnetometry, resistivity, GPR and surface collection. It now seems clear that the centre of Ocriculum was built on the ridge overlooking the Tiber sometime during the Republican period. The extent of the site on the ridge and the character of its surface finds suggest that it developed to become a significant urban focus by the early Imperial period. There is little evidence for the formal planning of the core of the site, and our survey has not identified a street layout. Where the via Flaminia cuts across the ridge, the magnetometer survey suggests that it may have passed through a large rectangular space defined by major terrace walls to the east and west. To the east the ridge rises with a terrace defined to the south and west by a major wall of late Roman date which dominated the topography of the later town and presumably defined its extent. To the north, the major remains can now be clearly understood as a temple precinct, built to be visible on the cliff. Along the southern side of the ridge the survey indicates that there were a series of buildings built above the stream and probably predating the Late Roman wall. To the west, the theatre dominated the southern side of the ridge and must have opened onto a terrace on the valley slope below before the valley was infilled. Deeply buried structures suggest the presence of a porticus behind the scena frons. The survey confirms the presence of a number of richly decorated buildings along the northern edge of the ridge. The infilling of the valley between the settlement on the ridge and the amphitheatre must be associated with the construction of the baths. Survey has shown that the infilled valley was not extensively built upon. At either end of it major structures survive, including what are apparently very large cisterns, presumably designed to supply the baths.
• Site Required - 2002
  Between the 3rd and 17th of May 2002, a geophysical and topographical survey covering approximately 2 hectares was undertaken in the area around the archaeological excavations at Baccanas (Campagnano di Roma, Lazio, Italy), by a team from the British School at Rome and Cambridge University. The survey formed part of the continuing work of the AHRB funded Roman Towns in the Middle and Lower Tiber Valley project, directed by Simon Keay (University of Southampton) and Martin Millett (Cambridge University). The survey benefited from the use of an integrated survey strategy since the topographical data greatly assisted in the interpretation of the magnetometry results. These were not as clear as might have been hoped due to the difficulties presented by the surface spread of material, and the depth of the archaeology around the limits of the survey area. However, the survey was deemed to be successful since it both increased knowledge of the site beyond the excavated area, and elucidated possibilities for the further extent of the settlement. The survey results suggested that the surrounding areas to the west of the archaeological zone might yield further evidence of the settlement. However, the depth of soil over the archaeological remains make it unlikely that very clear or easily interpretable results would be produced by extending the magnetometry survey area. Equally, to the east the continuation of the possible forum is hidden by the remainder of the previous modern Via Cassia and therefore geophysical survey in this area would also prove unsuccessful.