Seven Hills of Rome

2014

Non-Intrusive Methodologies for Large Area Urban Research, 2023

Some reflections about the fuure of the topographical research on Ancient Rome

ANTIQUITY- …, 2000

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2019

Most of the ancient cities link their initial fortune to the uniqueness of their geographical position: rivers, hills, islands and natural resources are playing a fundamental role in the game of shaping a powerful future for any urban settlement. However, very few cities share the astonishing destiny of the City of Rome, where all those factors, together with the powerful boost of its citizen’s determination and their primitive but effective technologies, have contributed to design the fate of that urban area, establishing the basis of western civilization and giving a fundamental contribution of all humankind.

Geografia Fisica e Dinamicca Quaternaria

Rome has been an international destination for thousands of years. Visitors that are attracted by well-known historical and cultural sites can also find a wealth of natural and geomorphological features in the city. These characteristics, which are some of the main contributors to the success of Aeterna Urbs, are often hidden or have been modified by millennia of urbanization. This «man-made layering» is unique from other cities around the world, but the features are still recognizable among the usual tourist attractions. In this work, we present the results of a geomorphological analysis conducted within Rome that led to the production of a geomorphological sketch of Rome and an inventory of the geosites in the city center. We identified two new geosites that are essentially geomorphosites because they are of geologic interest and are also typical expressions of the evolution of the relief. In the first case, Tiberina Island, (Tiber Island), the geomorphosite is evidence of the pal...

The territory of the suburbs of Rome between Via Prenestina and Via Appia and up to the slopes of the quiescent volcano of the Alban Hills has been the focus of extensive archaeological investigations carried out by the Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Roma, in particular in 1999Roma, in particular in -2007. This research found evidence of the presence of Final Neolithic and Eneolithic settlements as well as Eneolithic necropolises. At the same time the Dipartimento di Scienze Geologiche of the Università di Roma Tre carried out a territorial survey that, thanks to the stratigraphic sections discovered by the archaeological investigations, led to a revision of the knowledge about the primary volcanic deposits and lahars arising from the crater of the Albano Lake, referable to the Holocene.

River Cities, City Rivers, 2018

The study area is located in the mid Calore valley, between the Calore and the Ufita Rivers. From prehistoric times, the territory has constituted an important crossroad among Campania, Apulia and Lucania, ensuring a connection between the Tyrrenian and Adriatic coast. The importance of the area grew with the construction of the via Appia, in the third century BC. Along its route, as documented by itinerary sources, in the early first century BC the municipium of Aeclanum (Passo di Mirabella -Mirabella Eclano, AV) was founded. A significant part of the research project regards this city: archaeological field surveys were carried out in the urban area and along the city walls, still partially preserved, with the aim to clarify its route. The new collected data were georeferenced in an aerophotogrammetric map, together with the data deriving from 1960s archaeological excavations and systematic study of archival documents of the Superintendence of Salerno, Avellino, Benevento and Caserta Province. The map was realised in the LabTAF of the University of Salento and constitutes the first large scale archaeological map of the ancient city. Systematic archaeological field walking was carried out on the territory corresponding partially to the ager Aeclanensis. It aimed at the reconstruction of the ancient topography of the territory surrounding the Roman site thanks to the large number of settlements documented. These settlements attest to the inhabitation of the area since the prehistoric and proto-historic times to the Medieval period. All collected data are georeferenced in the archaeological map that also allows diachronic analyses of the territory.

Journal of Roman Studies, 2021

A geoarchaeological coring survey of the Forum Boarium has shed considerable light on Rome’s archaic landscape. We present the rst empirical evidence that substantiates ancient and modern assumptions about the existence of a river harbour and ford in early Rome. Prior to the growth of the city, the riverbank — reconstructed as a high ledge at the base of the Capitoline Hill and a low-lying shore north of the Aventine — was particularly advantageous for river-related activities. However, the river valley changed signicantly in the sixth century B.C.E., as a result of complex uvial processes that were arguably spurred by urbanisation. Around the beginning of the Republic, Rome’s original harbour silted up, and a high, wide riverbank emerged in its place. The siltation continued until the Forum Boarium was urbanised in the mid-Republic. In order to build their city and maintain river harbour operations, the Romans therefore had to adapt to dynamic ecological conditions.