The archaeological research and excavation project focuses on one of the most significant and historically qualified areas of the centre of ancient Rome, whose adequate knowledge has been, however, inhibited by the numerous transformations that have characterized its history up to the contemporary age. Literary, epigraphic and iconographic sources - already collected, systematized and analysed by the proposer of the present research project in several monographs and articles published and discussed in the last twenty years - suggest a wide range of archaeological and topographic issues that are crucial for the reconstruction of the urban history of this sector of the ancient city. First of all, the topographical and toponymical definition of the neighbourhood called Velia in many ancient sources; its road structure strictly connected to the delicate issue of identification of the Via Sacra route; the definition of the urban phases marked by important monumental programs of the imperial age; the recognition of a series of ancient sanctuaries of high religious, political and ideological importance; and finally, the structuring of the functional and social physiognomy of an area so close to the Roman Forum and over the time interpreter of different settlement, commercial, monumental and representative vocations.
A focused program of stratigraphic investigations, anchored to a complete survey of the previous excavations and discoveries, will allow to acquire decisive 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, with which the area in question has historically constituted a coherent urban system and, at the same time, the connection to the eastern neighbourhoods of the city.
As evidenced by dealing with the objectives and the method, the proposed research project stems from the desire to deal with an analytical, integrated and systematic approach, a topographical and historical question on which, although the scientific debate is still alive, a unified and coherent perspective in terms of archaeological research has been lacking. In fact, the philological reconstructions based, mainly, on the dossier of the written sources have not yet found an opportunity for verification and comparison in the field: this condition generates a serious knowledge deficiency that we propose to fill with the creation of a dossier that integrates the known documentation (bibliographic, archival, documentary) in the context of the results of the surveys on the ground.
The setting of the "Velia Project" thus suggests a new research path that moves, firstly, from the systemisation of known data, heterogeneous in quality and quantity, never collected and analysed in an overall perspective and in a programmatic way. It is therefore proposed an integral vision of the archaeological problem, which we try to solve by combining the principles of historical research with the potential of modern tools and methodologies of investigation in the field (from geophysical prospecting, to core sampling, to direct detection). allowing the planning of precise tests with respect to the useful archaeological sediments, make a fundamental contribution to the advancement of knowledge. The potential for the development of the research theme is inherent in the method approach, integrated, transversal and interdisciplinary, able to provide consistent scientific answers to historical-urbanistic issues and to open new scenarios of investigation that can give a different perspective for understanding of the missing piece in the reconstruction of the monumental centre of ancient Rome. The "Velia Project" will be an important opportunity to advance knowledge, on the terms of topographic configuration and historical-urban evolution of a very central urban area strongly characterized of ancient Rome, which between the Archaic and the Imperial era was invested by radical transformations with significant ideological, political and social meanings.