Summary The N-E foot of Palatino Hill and Coliseum Valley (Rome) are characterised by a sequence of complex buildings, related to the Roman period between the late Republican and Severo’s age (200 AD). To enhance the knowledge of this area a scientific collaboration between Sapienza University at Roma (Department of Archaeology) and the Institute of Technologies Applied to Cultural Heritage (ITABC-CNR), was initiated in 2001 and it is still a very active joint research program today. In this site a series of GPR surveys employing different frequencies were carried out between 2001 and 2011. Acquisition was made using a high-resolution approach in which parallel profiles were recorded very closely across the site. Signal processing, image processing, and visualization techniques have been used in conjunction with data modelling, elaboration, and interpretation of the recorded subsurface amplitudes. All GPR results have been verified through the direct archaeological controls. These archaeological excavations made by the team of Prof. Clementina Panella (Sapienza University of Roma) during the last few years after the geophysical surveys, have confirmed the structures individuated with the GPR method.

For most archaeological prospections with GPR, detection is the most important aspect of the surveys. If enough density of profiles is recorded across a site, structural information can also be obtained regarding the buried features. Shallow and narrow features may require a very fine line density to get detected. If the profile spacing is large, shallow areas can have no microwaves penetrating the region. At greater penetration depths however, the unsampled region decreases. If small targets are buried close to the ground surface, detection of these features may require a finer line spacing then objects which are buried slightly deeper and within the penetration depth of the antenna.A method for presenting GPR data from archaeological sites is needed to show these minute changes. Rather than showing the changes in reflected energies along the vertical radargram slices of the ground, it is more useful to map horizontal changes of reflected energy across a site. In this case small, but consistent reflections above the background noise can be visualized by using time slice analysis. There are a variety of imaging and analyses that must be implemented to solve the multitude of subsurface conditions in the archaeological field survey. Among a few of the necessary imaging techniques and analysis to be briefly introduced in this presentation: Time slices, Isosurface rendering and Overlay Analysis.

A Roman marketplace and town called the Forum Novum, initially began construction in the [Formula: see text] century BC and flourished well into the [Formula: see text] century AD. At present most of the town remains is below ground. The site is situated next to a completely restored [Formula: see text] century AD church and a partially reconstructed marketplace. Ground penetrating radar surveys have been conducted at the Forum Novum during 1998 through 2001 field seasons to remotely detect buildings of this ancient town. Using 300 and [Formula: see text] radar antennas and closely spaced radar profiles, time slice and 3-D volume analysis of the reflection data were computed. GPR surveys in the area detected a large oval-shaped structure [Formula: see text] along its major axis. This structure is from a [Formula: see text] century AD Roman amphitheater. Subsequent excavations from one of the eight entrances reveal that the internal amphitheater oval is nearly a meter thick and is composed of a cemented stone wall buried [Formula: see text] below the ground surface. The time slices revealed completely different top layer reflections from structures associated with a destroyed mausoleum, which could also be seen by the naked eye as crop marks. Archaeologists often reconstruct subsurface archaeology based on crop marks. In this case however, radar was able to detect structures near the surface—and a much different set of structures lying deeper using time slice analysis. Other structures detected in the GPR surveys include a large building complex found next to a reconstructed marketplace, and believed to be living quarters adjacent to the central market area. A large Roman villa was also imaged in one area and later excavated to reveal internal walls that include a garden atrium.

The paper presents the results of an on-going study of the Roman town and early medieval bishopric of Forum Novum at Vescovio in the middle Tiber valley to the north of Rome. The work forms part of the British School at Rome's Tiber Valley Project, which studies the changing landscapes of the middle Tiber valley as the hinterland of Rome through two millennia, from 1000 BC to AD 1000. At Forum Novum a range of remote sensing techniques are being combined with excavation to examine the extent and organization of a Roman town and its development through time. From 1997 to 2001 a series of topographic and high-resolution ground-based remote sensing surveys took place at Forum Novum, which provide a basic map of the ancient centre. The integrated remote sensing surveys were carried out using the magnetic, geoelectric and ground-penetrating radar (GPR) methods. The analysis of the gradiometric, resistivity and GPR time-slice maps indicate that many structural foundations and walls of the buildings are still well preserved below the surface. The results, which are presented and discussed in this paper, demonstrate the potential of remote sensing techniques for our understanding of the extent and organization of urban centres. In the case of Forum Novum, where much of the ancient centre lies under modern structures, GPR survey, in particular, proved fundamental. Further, the results of the georadar surveys permitted archaeologists to select key areas of the town for more detailed investigation through excavation. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

In this work, the results of high-resolution integrated geophysical surveys of the archaeological site of Traiano's Villa (Altopiani di Arcinazzo, Roma, Italy) are presented. The Villa of Roman Emperor Marco Ulpio Traino ( AD 98–117) was built in Arcinazzo (Italy), approximately 55 km northeast of Rome. Today, the only remains left standing at the site are the public building entrances comprising a small portion of the entire site. Over 5 ha, adjacent to the entrance remains, had not been surveyed. As part of an ongoing study to rescue this national archaeological treasure, high-resolution ground-penetrating radar (GPR) surveys, using a submetre profile spacing, integrated with a gradiometric survey, were conducted. Amplitude GPR time-slice analysis indicates that many structural foundations and walls of the villa are still well preserved below the surface. Time-slices below 1.5 m in one area indicate two large mushroom shaped structures enclosed within a large building over 100 m in length. These structures are believed to be dipping pools within a larger structure believed to be the bathhouse to the villa. At the location west of the bathhouse a large oval shaped anomaly 45 m along its major axis was located. This subsurface structure is believed to be an oval garden pond or a swimming pool. Several other remnants of rectangular buildings coincident with the oval structure but much deeper were also imaged. Other structures include a long rectangular corridor that contains many square shaped rooms, which has been interpreted as a criptoporticus. The magnetic map, related to part of the area investigated, shows many dipole anomalies. These anomalies represent linear and semicircular structures of the villa. The magnetic results provide complementary information to the GPR survey that lines out walls and floors. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The villa of the Roman Emperor Marcus Ulpius Trajanus (AD52-117) was built in Arcinazzo Italy, approximately 55 kin northeast of Rome. Today, the only remains left standing at the site are public building entrances comprising a small portion of the entire site. As part of an ongoing study to rescue this national archaeological treasure, an extensive grid system was laid out and high-resolution GPR surveys using sub-meter profile spacings were conducted. Amplitude time slice analysis indicates that many structural foundations of the villa are still well preserved below the ground surface. Time slices below 40 ns in one area reveal several large mushroom shaped structures enclosed within a large building over 100 meters in length. These rounded structures are believed to be dipping pools within the bathhouse to the villa. At a location west of the bathhouse, a large oval shaped anomaly 45 meters along its major axis was discovered. Several intermediate time slices show a very faint overlapping oval reflection with a different orientation. The fainter anomaly may indicate the initial construction geometry was adjusted soon after construction began on the site for a garden pond or outdoor pool area. The data are also examined using fast animation of the radar time slices. In this dynamic display of the datasets, several other information such as overlying topsoil depths across the site, and the relationship of structural anomalies at different levels, can be easily visualized when compared to normal static displays of radar data.

The Roman town of Forum Novum lies in the Sabine hills to the northeast of Rome. Its study forms part of the British School at Rome's Tiber Valley Project, a collaborative research initiative which studies the Tiber valley as the hinterland of Rome, tracing the impact of Rome's development on the history of its settlement, economy, and cultural identity from 1000 B.C. to A.D. 1300 (Patterson and Millett 1999; Pattersonet al.2000) (fig. 1). The project draws on the extensive work carried out in this area to produce a new, material-based history of the valley. While the project seeks to re-evaluate past survey material, a vital contrast is provided by the development of new field projects to fill the gaps in settlement knowledge. Three main lacunae have been identified: the study of urban centres; the dearth of data from the E bank of the Tiber; and the poor understanding of the late-antique and early Mediaeval landscape. Forum Novum offers an opportunity to address all these lacunae.Urbanism forms a key research theme for the Tiber Valley Project. In marked contrast to the intensity of archaeological work on rural settlement in this area, there has been little systematic research on towns. Study has tended to concentrate on the excavation of monumental structures or, more rarely, the investigation of single and exceptional towns such as Ostia and Rome itself. Surprisingly little is known of the organization of the smaller towns and knowledge of their history is based largely on the epigraphic and documentary evidence.

Time slices of ground-penetrating radar (GPR) data are developed from closely spaced profiles collected at archaeological sites in Japan and the USA. The time slices are used to remotely sense archaeological features at several burial mounds and a pit dwelling site. The methodology for creating the time slices and some of the interpretive limitations of the time slices are presented.

A ground‐penetrating radar study of medieval kiln sites located near Suzu city, on the Noto peninsula, was conducted prior to excavation. Archaeological site plans estimated from time slices of the closely‐spaced parallel radar profiles are compared with excavations and a proton magnetometer survey. The results indicate that non‐destructive remote sensing with radar can help to determine effectively the presence and general structural features of intact kiln floors.