The Sapienza Università di Roma and the Parco Archeologico del Colosseo have been conducting excavations in the valley of the Colosseum and on the north-eastern slope of the Palatine Hill since the 1980s. In this urban context,... more
The Sapienza Università di Roma and the Parco Archeologico del Colosseo have been conducting excavations in the valley of the Colosseum and on the north-eastern slope of the Palatine Hill since the 1980s. In this urban context, excavations have permitted to identify a long and complex settlement sequence, dated between the Iron Age and present day. Evidence pertaining to the Mid-Republican period (4th-3rd centuries BC) stands out for its quality and quantity.
The stratigraphically investigated contexts and ceramics study have permitted to reconstruct the change of the urban landscape and analyse its building and sacred activities. Evidence dated to the 4th-3rd centuries BC includes: a) an important road network from the 7th/6th century BC; b-c) two places of worship, the first (whose titular deity is still debated) on the south-western slope of the Velia, and the second (identified with the sanctuary of the Curiae Veteres) on one summit of the Palatium; d) a domus, which was located behind the Curiae and rebuilt several times until the 64 AD fire devastated the area.
As part of a project focusing on trade of cooking ware in 4th-3rd centuries BC Central Italy, 60 fragments were selected and examined in thin section petrography and bulk chemistry, with the aim to reconstruct their production technology and origin. The results indicated that there are few compositional groups among the cooking ware, suggesting that ceramic production was organised on a large scale. The classifications were also compared with reference collections, permitting to map 4th-3rd centuries BC regional trade and exchange networks.
The stratigraphically investigated contexts and ceramics study have permitted to reconstruct the change of the urban landscape and analyse its building and sacred activities. Evidence dated to the 4th-3rd centuries BC includes: a) an important road network from the 7th/6th century BC; b-c) two places of worship, the first (whose titular deity is still debated) on the south-western slope of the Velia, and the second (identified with the sanctuary of the Curiae Veteres) on one summit of the Palatium; d) a domus, which was located behind the Curiae and rebuilt several times until the 64 AD fire devastated the area.
As part of a project focusing on trade of cooking ware in 4th-3rd centuries BC Central Italy, 60 fragments were selected and examined in thin section petrography and bulk chemistry, with the aim to reconstruct their production technology and origin. The results indicated that there are few compositional groups among the cooking ware, suggesting that ceramic production was organised on a large scale. The classifications were also compared with reference collections, permitting to map 4th-3rd centuries BC regional trade and exchange networks.
