Books
Non-Intrusive Methodologies for Large Area Urban Research brings together contributions from a co... more Non-Intrusive Methodologies for Large Area Urban Research brings together contributions from a conference held in 2021 in association with the ERC-funded ‘Rome Transformed’ research project. The papers address a major challenge in archaeology. Non-intrusive research in pursuit of a deeper understanding of urban areas can be both richly informative and cost-effective. Multiple successes in the field have led to an impressive array of innovative methodologies, methodologies that are frequently combined for still greater insight and impact. Geophysical surveys, the use of UAVs, the study of exposed historic structures and the exhaustive examination of archival records can all play a vital role, and the development of these data capture methodologies is of the utmost importance for the future of research. As well as advances in data capture methodologies, however, the papers also present case studies in the management of the big data generated and in the integration of different methodologies. A further strength of this collection lies in the range of site types considered. While many projects have historically pursued non-intrusive research in areas relatively clear of modern buildings, a growing number of research initiatives, such as ‘Rome Transformed’ are seeking to advance them in areas which remain densely occupied. Accordingly the material presented here will also be of interest to non-archaeologists working in such diverse fields as civil engineering, urban planning and physical geography.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Book Reviews
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Collecting and displaying in ancient Rome
The chapter brings together literary and archaeological evidence to discuss the ideas underpinnin... more The chapter brings together literary and archaeological evidence to discuss the ideas underpinning Roman collecting practices, suggesting how notions about exclusivity and exclusive access to collectables may have played a significant role in defining the way artworks were collected and displayed in public and in private settings from the 2nd century BCE to the 4th century CE. In doing so, it provides a new framework within which the collection and display of Christian relics by Late Antique emperors and religious elites can be seen and evaluated.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Destrée P., Murray P. (eds), Companion to Ancient Aesthetics, First Edition, Blackwell Companions to the Ancient World, May 2015
Sculptures played an important role as decoration of private residences in Roman times. Subjects,... more Sculptures played an important role as decoration of private residences in Roman times. Subjects, themes, styles and even dimensions changed over time not just according to the aesthetic values of the Roman patrons, but also in relation to ideas of identity and status. Hadrian’s villa offers an excellent case for the study of ancient perception and display of sculptures within their architectural context. About five hundreds sculptures are said to come from this imperial estate, but until now it has been hardly possible to reconstruct their original setting within the general layout of the villa. By looking at the way sculptures were displayed, I will focus on three major notions that informed the planning of the villa’s sculptural decoration: aesthetic values, control over people’s behaviour, and the establishment of hierarchies within the diverse range of people that attended the emperor’s palace.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Proceedings of the XVIII International Congress of Classical Archaeology. Centre and Periphery in the Classical World
The paper aims at reconstructing some of the notions underpinning the planning of niches and maso... more The paper aims at reconstructing some of the notions underpinning the planning of niches and masonry plinths in Roman imperial residences, focusing in particular on Hadrian’s Villa at Tivoli (Rome). By looking at the way niches were arranged, it suggests that well-defined aesthetic criteria promoted the planning of niches in order to generate powerful correlations between sculptures, water and the architectural setting. The examination of the design of the Villa reveals that the arrangement of niches did not just reflect the emperor’s tastes and ideas, but was planned to affect and shape the way visitors moved within its spaces.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Roman baths and water infrastructure
Jansen G., Ravasi, T., (in press), Insula under hospital of S. Giovanni Addolorata, single toilet from early second century AD, in Koloski-Ostrow, A.O., Neudecker, R., Jansen, G. (eds.), Sixty-six Toilets in the Ancient City of Rome: sanitary, urbanistic, and social agency BABESCH, Peeters: Leuven
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Jansen G., Ravasi, T., (in press), Balneum under Lateran Baptistery, multi-seater of Severan period, in Koloski-Ostrow, A.O., Neudecker, R., Jansen, G. (eds.), Sixty-six Toilets in the Ancient City of Rome: sanitary, urbanistic, and social agency BABESCH suppl., Peeters: Leuven (Belgium)
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Liverani, P. (ed.), Rileggere il Laterano antico. Il rilievo 3D dell’Ospedale di S. Giovanni (Rome, 29th November 2018), 2020
The paper discusses the results of the work of recording, analysis and modelling of the Roman nym... more The paper discusses the results of the work of recording, analysis and modelling of the Roman nymphaeum discovered in the underground spaces of Corsia Mazzoni, in the Ospedale di San Giovanni, in Rome. The work is an integral part of a larger project of archaeological analysis, survey and 3D modelling of the architectural structures of the Roman era still visible in the area of the Ospedale di San Giovanni and the Scuola delle Infermiere, conducted jointly by the Universities of Newcastle and Florence. The project focused on four archaeological areas: the spaces below the current Mazzoni ward, below the courtyard to the south of the Folchi ward, in the area of the so-called Horti di Domitia Lucilla in the Ospedale Nuovo and the scavi under the Scuolq delle Infermiere. After the initial data capture phase, the research is now focussing on the study and processing of the data and in the development of 3D models of some of the structures. This contribution examines a structure that has been little known and poorly documented so far, a nymphaeum published by Colini in 1944 and never properly documented. We suggest a more refined chronology and a new orientation of the structure and we present two models of the building, advancing some hypotheses on the development of its elevation and original decoration.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Rome Transformed project
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Haynes, I., Liverani, P., Carboni, F., Ravasi, T., Kay, S., Piro, S., & Morelli, G. (2022). Rome Transformed: fieldwork in south-eastern Rome. Papers of the British School at Rome, 90, 337-341.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Haynes, I., Liverani, P., Carboni, F., Ravasi, T., Kay, S., Piro, S. and Morelli, G. (2021) Rome Transformed: Interdisciplinary analysis of the eastern Caelian (Rome), Papers of the British School at Rome 89, 342-346
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Haynes, I., Liverani, P., Kay, S., Piro, S., Ravasi, T., & Carboni, F. (2020). Rome Transformed: Researching the Eastern Caelian C1-C8 CE (Rome). Papers of the British School at Rome, 88, 354-357.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Papers of the British School at Rome, 2019
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
The Papers of the British School at Rome, 2018
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Trade and economy
Research project carried out by the Museum of Crema on the collection of thirteen logboats found ... more Research project carried out by the Museum of Crema on the collection of thirteen logboats found in the rivers Adda, Oglio and Po.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
The paper provides a first investigation on the Roman amphorae found during the excavation of the... more The paper provides a first investigation on the Roman amphorae found during the excavation of the area of Piazza Marconi, at Cremona, Northern Italy (C2 BC-4AD)
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Uploads
Books
Book Reviews
Collecting and displaying in ancient Rome
Roman baths and water infrastructure
Rome Transformed project
Trade and economy
During the Empire increasing emphasis was placed on sculptures as part of complex architectural settings, and the arrangement of statues within niches became an integral part of the planning of a building. This attitude permeated the design of imperial residences, and hence spread over Italian and provincial elite houses and villas. Therefore, by looking at the planning of niches in Roman residences, we can hope to reconstruct the principles that influenced the way architects and patrons wanted their sculptures to be seen and appreciated within their architectural setting.
The paper aims at reconstructing the notions underpinning the planning of niches and masonry plinths in Roman imperial residences, focusing in particular on Hadrian’s Villa at Tivoli (Rome). By looking at the way niches were arranged, it suggests that well-defined criteria promoted the planning of niches in order to generate powerful correlations between sculptures and their architectural setting. The examination of the design of the Villa reveals that the arrangement of niches did not just reflect the emperor’s tastes and ideas, but was planned to affect and shape the way visitors moved within its spaces, responding to notions of aesthetics and control over people’s behaviors.
By assessing the role of niches as powerful devices for the expression of the relationship between the emperor and his guests, the paper offers novel insights into imperial influences over the development of elite residential architecture in the Roman provinces.
Stemming from the recent re-assessment of the architectural layout of the House of Augustus on the Palatine (Iacopi and Tedone 2006) and subsequent debate (Carandini and Bruno 2008, Wiseman 2009), this paper will look at how ideas about the architectural planning, the decoration, and the sculptural display of the House of Augustus on the Palatine were translated into the architectural language of Hadrian’s Villa. In particular, the paper will explore the complex relationship between architectural planning, sculptural display and the social world of the Roman court, with particular reference to the nature of the relationship between the emperor and his subjects. Moreover, the paper will look at how subjects employed in the Augustan era for the decoration of public buildings (e.g. the Caryatids) were re-interpreted in the relatively more private setting of Hadrian’s Villa.
Carandini A. and D. Bruno 2008, La Casa di Augusto dai Lupercalia al Natale, Laterza: Rome-Bari.
Iacopi I. and G. Tedone 2006, ‘Bibliotheca e Porticus ad Apollinis’, Röm. Mitt. 112 (2005/6): 351–78
Wiseman T.P. 2009, ‘The house of Augustus and the Lupercal’, JRA 22: 527–45"