Ricerc@Sapienza

The Velia hill is one of the most significant areas of the center of ancient Rome. In spite of the role Velia held in the history of the City, its knowledge is deeply affected by the numerous transformations that have characterised its history up to the contemporary age. As things stand, the project focuses on a peculiar site ¿ never excavated before - close to Roman Forum in order to contribute to the reconstruction of the landscape of the ancient hill and to clarify the historical phases of the urban sector along the northern edge of the Via Sacra. Literary, epigraphic and iconographic sources ¿ already collected, systematised and analysed by the PI of the present research project - suggest a wide range of archaeological and topographic issues that are crucial for the reconstruction of the urban history of the area. Among the many topics, the project deals with: the reconstruction of the original orography of the hill; the definition of the neighbourhoods called Velia in ancient sources; the road network; the definition of the urban phases marked by monumental building programs of the Imperial Age; the recognition of a series of ancient sanctuaries of high religious, political and ideological importance; the structuring of functional and commercial complexes, above all the horrea Piperataria, in part already excavated within this research project. An intensive program of stratigraphic and non-invasive (magnetometry, surveys, etc.) investigations and historical research, together with a complete survey of the previous excavations and discoveries, will allow to acquire new documentary elements for a better understanding of the various topographical and historical problems. The scientific value of the program will be enriched by the comparison with the great discoveries made in the last decades in the adjacent areas of the Palatine and with the extraordinaries results of the previous archaeological campaigns carried out within this research project.