University di Roma and scientific director of Meta Sudans and NE- Palatine Slopes excavations); Franco D'Agostino (Full Professor of La Sapienza University di Roma and scientific director of Eridu excavations); Massimiliano Nuzzolo (Researcher of University degli Studi di Torino and co-director of Abu Gurab excavations ) and Rossanna Pirelli (Professor of the Orientale University of Naples and co-director of Abu Gurab excavations).

The NE slopes of the Palatine and the Colosseum valley area have been the place of a long archaeological research; here the continuous urban development produced an overlap of architectural complexes distributed over time. The huge amount of archaeological documentation produced during research is managed by an intra-site GIS. For ancient walls analysis we have introduced the use of image-based-modelling photogrammetry in order to create a very detailed 3D documentation, marked by an increasing and progressive high-level-autopsy, linked to a DBMS dedicated to ancient structural features. In this procedure we also decided to compare two different approaches to check results of both: one based on taking brick measures directly by hand, the other taking same measures on photogrammetric elaborations by GIS. Through this methodology, counting measures and dimensional aspect of wall facades features, we can evaluate specific aspects of the ancient construction yards for each period; we can also refine the chronological sequences of the architectures and verify the contextual relationships of the surrounding buildings in order to formulate wide-ranging reconstructive hypotheses.

The investigations carried out in the valley of the Colosseum and on the NE slopes of the Palatine have disclosed a complex sequence of urban and monumental interventions whose documentation has inevitably produced a vast amount of data that is difficult to manage without the aid of an information system. With the recent development of new applications, it is possible to create a system for the integration and visualisation of archaeological data, both in two and three-dimensional format, and to experiment with new criteria and methods for the combined and effective use of documents of a different nature.

The NE slopes of the Palatine hill and the Colosseum valley area have a long archaeological research history. Here the continuous urban development has produced the overlap of architectural complexes distributed over time. The huge amount of archaeological documents produced by the research is managed within a GIS environment. For the analysis of ancient walls we introduced the use of image-based-modelling photogrammetry in order to create a very detailed 3D documentation linked to a DBMS dedicated to ancient structural features. Through this methodology we can evaluate specific aspects of ancient construction yards for each period. We can also refine the chronological sequences of the architectural structures and verify the contextual relationships of the surrounding buildings in order to formulate wide-ranging reconstructive hypotheses.

The urban landscape enclosed between the valley of the Colosseum, Palatine Hill and Velia, despite being the result of multiple urban interventions that have taken place over time, still retains a plan of use and an architectural context that dates back to the 4th century. a.D. Obviously what we see is the result of demolitions and excavation operations that have affected the area from the post-ancient age until today. Furthermore, if it is true that the Flavian Amphitheater, the Arch of Constantine and the Temple of Venus and Rome have partially (good or bad) survived the spoliation and vicissitudes of the area, these live as individual monuments, without the urban connective tissue in which they fell in ancient times. In this context, the archaeological research conducted since 1986 at Meta Sudans by the Sapienza University of Rome, under the direction of Prof. Clementina Panella, has affected a large area, between the Arch of Constantine and the Hadrianic base of the Colossus, in order to investigate the ancient vicissitudes of the area: the intent was to find traces of its history, from the earliest human acquaintances to today, and to reconstruct the various forms assumed here by ancient topography. Subsequently, from 2001 to 2017, the investigations moved along the north-eastern slopes of the Palatine with the aim of reconnecting the valley with the Palatine hill and the Forum, reconstructing the connections that the post-ancient demolitions and especially those of the fascist age they had partially stopped. All this research has made the attempt of a general reconstruction of the historical events of the urban landscape practicable, from its first anthropization to the present day, aimed at its correct knowledge, conservation, enhancement and dissemination. Due to space problems, it is not possible to summarize the various chronological phases and the main historical events of the area here. We can only underline how the first traces of settlement, referable to a village of huts from the Iron Age, followed, uninterrupted and numerous over the centuries, a series of construction and destruction of urban blocks that overlap and obliterate each other.

The urban landscape enclosed between the valley of the Colosseum, Palatine Hill and Velia, despite being the result of multiple urban interventions that have taken place over time, still retains a plan of use and an architectural context that dates back to the 4th century. a.D. Obviously what we see is the result of demolitions and excavation operations that have affected the area from the post-ancient age until today. Furthermore, if it is true that the Flavian Amphitheater, the Arch of Constantine and the Temple of Venus and Rome have partially (good or bad) survived the spoliation and vicissitudes of the area, these live as individual monuments, without the urban connective tissue in which they fell in ancient times. In this context, the archaeological research conducted since 1986 at Meta Sudans by the Sapienza University of Rome, under the direction of Prof. Clementina Panella, has affected a large area, between the Arch of Constantine and the Hadrianic base of the Colossus, in order to investigate the ancient vicissitudes of the area: the intent was to find traces of its history, from the earliest human acquaintances to today, and to reconstruct the various forms assumed here by ancient topography. Subsequently, from 2001 to 2017, the investigations moved along the north-eastern slopes of the Palatine with the aim of reconnecting the valley with the Palatine hill and the Forum, reconstructing the connections that the post-ancient demolitions and especially those of the fascist age they had partially stopped. All this research has made the attempt of a general reconstruction of the historical events of the urban landscape practicable, from its first anthropization to the present day, aimed at its correct knowledge, conservation, enhancement and dissemination. Due to space problems, it is not possible to summarize the various chronological phases and the main historical events of the area here. We can only underline how the first traces of settlement, referable to a village of huts from the Iron Age, followed, uninterrupted and numerous over the centuries, a series of construction and destruction of urban blocks that overlap and obliterate each other.

The inner Sicilian area of the Erei hills, crossed by rivers and important streams directed to the Catania's lowland, witnessed very ancient human occupation and activities, starting from the Upper Palaeolithic. Here the dynamics of human activities and the organization of the supply basin during early times were distinctive in certain historical periods: some featured a substantial continuity with the earlier phases, while others showed a complete discontinuity with the older human settlement framework and a new organization of the area and activities connected with the environment. These agricultural, proto-urban and urban communities organized their existence on the exploitation of natural resources, distributing themselves according to the local morphology. They built, mostly on top of the hills, constructions used as control viewpoints of the area, and created a complete communication network to connect settlements of the same or different level. Those features in several cases had a long-term continuity that survived to dramatic historical changes and represent today the optimal way for a right perception of current landscape and its millenary history.

The article presents the results of the 2017 archaeological season in the sun temple of Nyuserre in Abu Ghurab. The works especially focused on three areas, namely the central obelisk, the alabaster altar, and the accumulation of limestone blocks in the south-western corner of the temple. Besides the documentation of these archaeological remains, an in-depth architectural analysis of the above-mentioned structures has been carried out, in particular as regards the obelisk area. In fact, as already noticed in other contributions, the 3D reconstruction of this part of the temple provided by Borchardt is not convincing for a number of reasons. A new reconstruction of the latter part of the temple has therefore been proposed, based on several archaeological, architectural and historical elements. This reconstruction involves not only the architecture of the obelisk but also the original aspect of the altar area, which is strictly connected to the obelisk as regards the cult practice and the overall temple symbolism. Another objective of the mission was to lay the foundations to a new phase of investigation of the area outside the temple, in particular of the area to the south-east of the sun temple of Nyuserre where the analysis of data coming from satellite remote sensing and historical cartography seems to indicate the possible existence of archaeological remains so far unexplored. Starting from this year, the mission has also become a joint ItalianCzech expedition within the framework of a wider research project (The Rise and Development of the Solar Cult and Architecture in Third Millennium BC Egypt – GAČR project no. 17-10799S), launched in January 2017 at the Czech Institute of Egyptology, Charles (https://cegu.ff.cuni.cz/en/ research/grants/the-rise-of-solar-cult/).

The intent of our research is to develop an efficient methodology in order to avoid the current dichotomy between the detailed documentation and the large scale one and to offer, instead, a geographic framework of architectural and archaeological drawings. This should trigger new questions about the investigated archaeological evidence, well defined in time and space from ancient times to the present days. Being able to measure different and contextual universes, starting from a single wall or the entire architectural structure and eventually even with large areas and landscapes, and putting them together, as a system, in space and time, can be the biggest contribution, from a multidisciplinary research staff, to understand the space we are living in. By way of an example, we will illustrate some recent types of research activities.

L’obiettivo della ricerca consiste nello sviluppo di un metodo efficiente volto a superare la dicotomia esistente tra la documentazione di dettaglio e quella a scala più ampia, territoriale e paesaggistica, in maniera tale da innescare nuove riflessioni sugli ambiti archeologici indagati e contestualizzarli nella storia e negli spazi geografici differenziati per periodi che arrivino fino ai giorni nostri.Il poter misurare ed assorbire diversi universi contestuali (dal singolo muro all’architettura, fino al sito e al suo territorio), mettendoli a sistema e facendoli interagire nello spazio e nel tempo, è forse il contributo più importante che un lavoro di squadra multidisciplinare può offrire per la comprensione dello spazio in cui viviamo.Si presentano i risultati di due recenti attività svolte sul campo ancora in atto.

New research activities are being promoted by the Archaeological Park of Agrigento with contributions from several Italian universities as well as from other countries. The archaeological investigation of the so-called upper Agorà, directed by Bari’s Politecnico and University of Catania, consists of rebuilding the architecture that once characterised the ancient urban landscape of this area. E. Brienza and M. Liuzzo, from Enna’s Kore University, have focused their collaborative efforts on a new analysis of evidence linked to the ancient street patterns. Through this collaboration, a new image of Agrigento’s planning scheme has been produced that is quite different from the previously suggested one by Griffo and Schmidt in 1958.

Il progetto Risk Map for Saqqara Site: GIS ed Egittologia

New research activities are being promoted by the Archaeological Park of Agrigento with contributions from several Italian universities as well as from other countries.The archaeological investigation of the so-called upper Agora, directed by Bari's Politecnico and University of Catania, consists of rebuilding the architecture that once characterised the ancient urban landscape of this area. E. Brienza and M. Liuzzo, from Enna's Kore University, have focused their collaborative efforts on a new analysis of evidence linked to the ancient street patterns. Through this collaboration, a new image of Agrigento's planning scheme has been produced that is quite different from the previously suggested one by Griffo and Schmidt in 1958.

Gli scavi archeologici preventivi per la realizzazione della Metro C a Roma, hanno visto per la prima volta a Roma l’esecuzione di rilevamento tridimensionale, basato su sistemi di Image Base Modelling e di Range Base Modelling, utilizzati come strumento quotidiano di documentazione. Di fianco ad essa e stata realizzata una schedatura delle differenti evidenze archeologiche quali Unita Stratigrafiche, Unita Stratigrafiche Murarie, Unita Stratigrafiche di Rivestimento e dei vari materiali rinvenuti; tale schedatura e avvenuta utilizzando strumenti e prodotti differenziati. Legata allo scavo e infine una ulteriore serie di documenti realizzati in maniera disparata in archivi differenziati. Sulla base della documentazione prodotta si e pensato di realizzare un GIS per lo scavo stratigrafico in grado di gestire la documentazione differenziata, sia integrando in un unico prodotto realizzato ad HOC i vari DBMS realizzati, sia utilizzando strumenti quali il CMS. I dati vengono gestiti, interrogati ed elaborati sia in forma planimetrica che in ambito tridimensionale tramite ArcGis 10.2.