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1. Case studies and archaeological feedback

Revisiting Vulci: New Data from a Geophysical Investigation in the Urban Area

Stephen Kay, Serena Sabatini, Elena Pomar et Kristian Goransson
p. 83-76

Résumé

– Geophysical prospection to support the study of the urban development of sites in South Etruria (Lazio, Italy) from the Bronze Age to Late Antiquity.

– Prospection of the site of Vulci using the techniques of magnetometry and GPR.

– Detailed plan of the city recorded over 1.6 hectares from the eastern edge of the plateau to the central Cardo Maximus.

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Entrées d’index

Keywords:

GPR, Etruscan, Vulci

Géographique :

Italie
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Texte intégral

1In 2019 the University of Gothenburg began the Understanding Urban Identities (UUI) project the aim of which is to investigate the urban development of sites in Southern Etruria over the long duration from the Bronze Age until Late Antiquity. In order to anchor the examination of the broader historical processes with the archaeological record, the site of Vulci was identified as a suitable case study which may provide details of continuity and transformation in a settlements configuration over time.

2Vulci lies close to the northern border of Lazio with Tuscany and in the heart of ancient Etruria. The site is located approximately 12 km inland from the coast, on a plateau above the River Fiora, which once connected it to its river port at Regisvilla. Excavations conducted in and around Vulci have revealed both Neolithic and Bronze Age occupation of the area, but it is the Etruscan town that emerged and flourished in the late 7th century BC and which defined the development and nature of the settlement. The Roman conquest of Vulci in 208 BC once again changed the urban aspect of the city with the construction of both public and private buildings.

3The site of Vulci has been the subject of multiple geophysical surveys due to its historical importance and suitability for prospection. As early as the 1950s the Fondazione Lerici conducted work at the site as well as at the other notable nearby Etruscan town of Tarquinia (Bagnasco Gianni et al., 2018). More recently, an extensive magnetometry survey was undertaken by the Vulci 3000 project to the south of the Tempio Grande. The results mapped numerous magnetic targets although the survey was affected by the underlying geology (McCusker & Forte, 2017: 98). A subsequent GPR survey by the project of the same area as well as to the north of the Tempio Grande has recorded the subsurface features in much greater details (Forte et al., 2020). In 2020 an extensive magnetometry survey was also undertaken of the acropolis by the ‘Cityscape e sviluppo urbano dell’antica Vulci’ project of the University of Freiburg and University of Mainz. The fluxgate gradiometer survey covered approximately 22 hectares of the plateau and recorded with clarity the basalt paved roads, some residential areas and potential kilns. However, similarly to the survey to the south, in several areas the underlying bedrock was close to the surface which affected the results. Finally, below the plateau alongside the Ponte Rotto, a joint team from University College London and the British School at Rome conducted both magnetometry and GPR to study the area around the excavated kilns (Lockyear et al., 2018).

4The fieldwork of the UUI project at Vulci commenced in 2019 and is undertaken in collaboration with the Parco Archeologico di Vulci and the Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio per la provincia di Viterbo e per l’Etruria meridionale. The first season of investigations focused on the eastern edge of the plateau, overlooking the port area of Ponte Rotto (Fig. 1). To the west the area is defined by the Casa del Criptoportico and to the south by the Decumanus Maximus. Previous excavations had been conducted on the slopes immediately below the area which recorded material dating to the earliest phases of the settlement (Moretti Sgubini et al., 2005). Furthermore, the lack of any standing structures from the Roman period in the area suggested a better preservation of earlier phases.

Figure 1. Location of the geophysical prospection at Vulci, Lazio.

Figure 1. Location of the geophysical prospection at Vulci, Lazio.

5The preliminary investigations in 2019 tested the techniques of both fluxgate gradiometry and GPR to assess their response in this area of the plateau which potential had a greater overburden of soil. The former was conducted using a Bartington Grad 601 with a sample interval of 0.25m and parallel zig-zag traverses at a distance of 0.5 m. The results, whilst identifying concentrations of material and some potential structures, were partially affected by the geology of the site, as noted by the earlier magnetic survey to the south on the plateau. The GPR survey was conducted with a single channel GSSI 400MHz antenna mounted on a cart, with data collected at a regular parallel traverse intervals of 0.25 m. The results of the survey, which covered an area of approximately 0.5 hectares, recorded a range of anomalies at an estimated depth between 0.20 m and 0.70 m. The form of the features and the high amplitude reflections indicated that the area was partially urbanised, with regular buildings and roads, the latter of which had been hypothesised by a previous study of aerial photographs (Pocobelli, 2004).

6In July 2020, the GPR prospection was further extended following the same methodology and similar collection parameters. The survey extended the study from the edge of the plateau in the east to a north-south road (Cardo Maximus), an area of approximately 1.6 hectares. The data, at a depth between 0.20 m and 0.70 m, revealed a range of high amplitude features (Fig. 2). The most prominent feature in the dataset is the partially buried remains of a railway track used during the excavation of the site in the 1950s (Fig. 3). However, across the full study area regular linear features were recorded revealing that the eastern plateau was also an urbanised area of the city. The regularity of the features, together with their alignment with excavated structures suggests that these are traces of the Roman occupation of the town. The area appears to be traversed by at least one east-west basalt and limestone paved road, previously noted by a study of the aerial photographs (Pocobelli, 2004). However, the GPR survey revealed a series of intersecting roads on a north-south alignment, suggesting a partially structured urban system. The southwest area of the survey revealed numerous buildings, some of which appear to open on to the excavated north-south road. The form of the structures would suggest an area of both private residences and shops opening on to the street.

Figure 2. Composite image of the GPR data at a depth between 0.2 m and 0.7 m.

Figure 2. Composite image of the GPR data at a depth between 0.2 m and 0.7 m.

Figure 3. Archaeological interpretation of the GPR results.

Figure 3. Archaeological interpretation of the GPR results.

7The density of Roman occupation in the eastern area of the plateau, therefore obscuring the recognition of earlier phases in the geophysical prospection, has encouraged the UUI project to extend the study outside the city, as defined by the plateau and city gates. Previous research has also identified earlier stratigraphic sequences outside the west gate of the city, therefore geophysical survey will be extended to study these areas with the aim of identifying areas of earlier occupation sequences.

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Bibliographie

Bagnasco Gianni, G., Garzulino, A., Kay, S., Marzullo, M., Smith, C., 2018. Civita di Tarquinia (Comune di Tarquinia, Provincia di Viterbo, Regione Lazio), Papers of the British School at Rome, 86: 328-332.

Forte, M., Danelon, N., Johnston, D., McCusker, K., Newton, E., Morelli, G., Catanzariti, G., 2020. Vulci 3000. A digital challenge for the interpretation of Etruscan and Roman cities. In M. Forte and H. Murteira (eds.), Digital Cities. Between history and archaeology, Oxford University Press: 13-41.

Lockyear, K., Corinna, R., Shlasko, E., 2018. Looking for the invisible: a micro- geophysical investigation of a macro-geophysical feature, in International Society for Archaeological Prospection Newsletter, 55: 3-8.

McCusker, K.L., Forte, M., 2017. The Vulci 3000 Project: A digital workflow and disseminating data. In J. Favreau and R. Patalano (ed.), Shallow pasts, endless horizons, sustainability and archaeology. Proceedings of the 48th Annual Chacmool Conference: 96- 105.

Moretti Sgubini, A.M., Ricciardi, L., Costantini, S., 2005. Testimonianze da Vulci. In A. Comella and S. Mel (ed.), Depositi votivi, Bari: 259-266.

Pocobelli, G.F., 2004. Vulci: Il contributo della fotografia aerea alla conoscenza dell’area urbana. In G. Ceraudo and F. Piccarreta (ed.), Archaeologia Aerea, Rome, Liberia dello Stato. Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato: 127-143.

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Table des illustrations

Titre Figure 1. Location of the geophysical prospection at Vulci, Lazio.
URL http://journals.openedition.org/archeosciences/docannexe/image/8690/img-1.jpg
Fichier image/jpeg, 2,0M
Titre Figure 2. Composite image of the GPR data at a depth between 0.2 m and 0.7 m.
URL http://journals.openedition.org/archeosciences/docannexe/image/8690/img-2.jpg
Fichier image/jpeg, 1,6M
Titre Figure 3. Archaeological interpretation of the GPR results.
URL http://journals.openedition.org/archeosciences/docannexe/image/8690/img-3.jpg
Fichier image/jpeg, 1,8M
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Stephen Kay, Serena Sabatini, Elena Pomar et Kristian Goransson, « Revisiting Vulci: New Data from a Geophysical Investigation in the Urban Area »ArcheoSciences, 45-1 | 2021, 83-76.

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Stephen Kay, Serena Sabatini, Elena Pomar et Kristian Goransson, « Revisiting Vulci: New Data from a Geophysical Investigation in the Urban Area »ArcheoSciences [En ligne], 45-1 | 2021, mis en ligne le 16 août 2021, consulté le 20 juin 2025. URL : http://journals.openedition.org/archeosciences/8690 ; DOI : https://doi.org/10.4000/archeosciences.8690

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Auteurs

Stephen Kay

Corresponding author, British School at Rome

Articles du même auteur

Serena Sabatini

University of Gothenburg

Elena Pomar

British School at Rome

Articles du même auteur

Kristian Goransson

University of Gothenburg

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