Archeologia dei Campi Flegrei

Pubblicato in occasione del centenario dell’autonomia amministrativa di Bacoli (1919-2019), il volume raccoglie 12 contributi di studiosi e artisti flegrei su aspetti significativi della storia locale. Un viaggio attraverso le vicende civili, l’arte, l’archeologia, la cultura, gli sport e le tradizioni popolari del territorio bacolese.

Ancient Roman syntheses of Al-tobermorite in a 2000-year-old concrete block submerged in the Bay of Pozzuoli (Baianus Sinus), near Naples, have unique aluminum-rich and silica-poor compositions relative to hydrothermal geological occurrences. In relict lime clasts, the crystals have calcium contents that are similar to ideal tobermorite, 33 to 35 wt%, but the low-silica contents, 39 to 40 wt%, reflect Al3+ substitution for Si4+ in Q2(1Al), Q3(1Al), and Q3(2 Al) tetrahedral chain and branching sites. The Al-tobermorite has a double silicate chain structure with long chain lengths in the b [020] crystallographic direction, and wide interlayer spacing, 11.49 Å. Na+ and K+ partially balance Al3+ substitution for Si4+. Poorly crystalline calcium-aluminum-silicate-hydrate (C-A-S-H) cementitious binder in the dissolved perimeter of relict lime clasts has Ca/(Si+Al) = 0.79, nearly identical to the Al-tobermorite, but nanoscale heterogeneities with aluminum in both tetrahedral and octahedral coordination. The concrete is about 45 vol% glassy zeolitic tuff and 55 vol% hydrated lime-volcanic ash mortar; lime formed <10 wt% of the mix. Trace element studies confirm that the pyroclastic rock comes from Flegrean Fields volcanic district, as described in ancient Roman texts. An adiabatic thermal model of the 10 m2 by 5.7 m thick Baianus Sinus breakwater from heat evolved through hydration of lime and formation of C-A-S-H suggests maximum temperatures of 85 to 97 °C. Cooling to seawater temperatures occurred in two years. These elevated temperatures and the mineralizing effects of seawater and alkali- and alumina-rich volcanic ash appear to be critical to Al-tobermorite crystallization. The long-term stability of the Al-tobermorite provides a valuable context to improve future syntheses in innovative concretes with advanced properties using volcanic pozzolans.

In June 2018, the Nucleo per gli Interventi di Archeologica Subacquea (NIAS) of the Istituto Superiore per la Conservazione ed il Restauro (ISCR), in strict collaboration with the Parco Archeo- logico dei Campi Flegrei, conducted a set of archaeological surveys and conservation works on two floor mosaics located in the area of the archaeological site of Submerged Baiae. One in the thermal baths located immediately north of the so-called “Villa con ingresso a protiro”, the second located slightly south-west of the Punta Epitaffio. Both mosaics are situated within the area under the jurisdiction of the Submerged archaeological park, in a sector where several underwater trails are already accessible by recreational divers and several others are planned to be established in the near future. The activities on two mosaics have been funded by the project BLUEMED - Plan/test/coordinate Underwater Museums, Diving Parks and Knowledge Awareness Centres in order to support sustainable and responsible tourism development and promote Blue growth in coastal areas and islands of the Mediterranean, and co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund. These are part of the ISCR consolidated efforts towards the monitoring, preservation and restoration of the archaeological remains, conducted in the last fifteen years in Submerged Baiae, testing innovative methodologies and technologies for the preservation of the underwater cultural heritage (Project Restaurare sott’acqua).
Possibly dating to the middle imperial age, the first is a bichrome floor mosaic, with black and white tesserae, framed by a monochrome triple band delimitating a representational field with an agonistic sub- ject. Here four male figures are represented, set with black tesserae on a white background. Two of them are athletes who are testing themselves in wrestling, while the other two figures are badly preserved. Holding a branch, one of them could be well identified with the judge/trainer. The portion of the mosaic area brought to the light and completely restored covers a surface area of approximately 12 square meters. It would have been part of a room, perhaps the apodyterium, belonging to one of the two thermal complexes identified along the north-eastern shore of the Baianus lacus.
The second, is a polychrome tessellated mosaic with a geometric decorative scheme, composed by octagons aligned to compose a chessboard and equilateral rhombuses filling the spaces between the octagons. The rhombuses are decorated with floral motifs realized with white, black, red, ochre yellow, pink and turquoise tesserae.
The equilateral rhombuses appear further subdivided by the only colouring of the tesserae into four rect- angular triangles of red, ochre yellow, pink and turquoise. The frame of the mosaic consists of a monochrome quadruple line that frames polychrome rectangular backgrounds repeated cyclically on the perimeter of the mosaic. This polychrome tessellated, in a bad state of preservation – above all due to the disconnections and depressions of the floor level – completely covered an almost square room of 4.30x4.25 m located in an area still little investigated located at about 100 m south-west from the Nymphaeum of Punta Epitaffio. After a brief archaeological overview of the areas of interest, the reflections arising from the analysis of the mosaic floors and the conservative intervention methods adopted will be presented.

È da Virgilio in poi che i Campi Flegrei assumono nell’immaginario, prima dei romani e poi dei moderni viaggiatori in un continuum ininterrotto attraverso i secoli, la connotazione di luogo dove vita e morte si toccano, dove l’uomo dialogo col dio, dove del dio si ode la voce tramite intermediari dotati di capacità oracolari. I fenomeni naturali estremi che li caratterizzavano accrescevano l’impressione di terra liminare ed estrema, in cui elementi ctoni e celesti convivevano. Questa congerie di suggestioni si impresse di certo in maniera indelebile nell’immaginario dell’impero augusteo. Ad esacerbare un approccio emotivo già estremamente sollecitato da visioni, racconti e sensazioni tanto impattanti, un ulteriore contrasto contribuì a definire il profilo di quest’area. Si tratta della contrapposizione fra Cuma e Baia, spazio infero la prima, sede del luxus più sfrenato la seconda. Il Sinus Baianus è infatti – a partire già dal I sec. a.C., luogo di delizie e residenze principesche, dove si indulge in banchetti arricchiti da proverbiali manicaretti, primo fra tutti la rinomata ostrica baiana tanto lodata da Marziale . Segno principe di tale opposizione è che essa venga allevata soprattutto in quel lago di Lucrino praticamente adiacente – e collegato – al più orrorifico lago d’Averno, dove avviene la virgiliana catabasi di Enea .

The preservation status of an underwater cultural site can be determined as the combination of two primary factors, namely the site physical integrity, which results from the past and present interaction of the site itself with the biological/chemical agents located in the surrounding environment, and the exposure of the site to human-related threats. Methods to survey underwater archaeological sites have evolved considerably in the last years in order to face the challenges and problems in archaeological prospection, documentation, monitoring, and data collection. This paper presents a case-study of an archaeological documentation campaign addressed to study and monitor the preservation status of an underwater archaeological site by combining the quantitative measurements coming from optical and acoustic surveys with the study of biological colonization and bioerosion phenomena affecting ancient artefacts. In particular, we present the first results obtained in the survey and documentation campaign carried out during the spring-summer 2018 in the "Nymphaeum of Punta Epitaffio" located in the Marine Protected Area-Underwater Park of Baiae (Naples)

2017_The coexistence of urban activities, port and different uses activity involves a series of conflicts in the border areas between the two identities that end up representing discontinuity and tension areas where the clash replacing the exchange. So while the city and its historic center tries to regain possession of some portions of port areas, at the same time, even the port, with its various destinations it tends to optimize its functions that inevitably involve conflicts in border areas, not only for the different functions, but also for the different skills that correspond to them. Yet these are areas of great potential for the city; areas which, if secured a balanced correlation between functions, uses and their skills can take a role in the public space of valuable importance in socioeconomic and cultural perspective. The disputed areas, where they overlap port and urban activities activities are, therefore, places that require a drawing first of all organic unitary and which has the purpose of regulating the various functions ensuring suitable spaces, keeping nevertheless distinct. This is the port of Pozzuoli landscape; a historical and archaeological context of great interest and of great landscape value, where the historical continuity of port functions remains and where the layers of history along with the permanence of functions and activities to represent the identity character of an area of great strategic importance as the Gulf of Pozzuoli. KEYWORDS historical layers and continuity of functions, the infrastructure system, demolition and connections.