TOPOGRAPHY AND TECHNICAL ANALYSIS OF ANCIENT MONUMENTS

1) Knowledge and understanding

The course aims to provide the fundamental knowledge necessary for understanding the field of study, objectives, and methodologies of both Ancient Topography and the technical analysis of ancient monuments in the Classical period. Particular attention is devoted to the processes of design, creation, and modification—through human and environmental interaction—of landscapes, considered in their urban, rural, and infrastructural dimensions, as well as in their technical and construction-related aspects.

 

2) Applying knowledge and understanding

Students will acquire theoretical and practical skills for the analysis and interpretation of stratified territories in their anthropogenic component. These competencies include direct and instrumental survey, graphic and cartographic representation, interpretation of aerial photographs and satellite imagery, and material and technical-construction analysis, applied at different scales: territorial, urban, and architectural-monumental.

 

3) Making judgements

The course aims to develop the ability to carry out autonomous analysis and critical interpretation of stratified territories from a historical perspective, based on a scientific methodology integrating: (I) analysis of ancient sources; (II) knowledge of Classical architecture; (III) material and technical-construction analysis; (IV) survey and graphic representation; (V) cartographic analysis and remote sensing, including both aerial and satellite data.

 

4) Communication skills

The course aims to develop the ability to clearly and effectively communicate the results of research activities in the field of topography and in the technical analysis of ancient monuments. Particular attention is given to the use of appropriate specialized terminology and to the ability to adapt content and level of detail to different audiences and communicative contexts.

 

5) Learning skills

The course aims to provide students with a scientific analytical methodology which, supported by theoretical knowledge applied to concrete case studies, can be independently and appropriately applied to the topographical and technical analysis of landscapes, sites, and monuments of the Classical world, for a variety of purposes.

Lectures will be delivered in the classroom, supported by visual presentations, critical reading of historical sources, and analysis of case studies.

Practical sessions will take place outdoors and will include surveying exercises, as well as chrono-typological and technical-construction analysis of an ancient monument.

No prerequisites required.

Attendance is not compulsory.

The course is divided into two modules of equal duration.

 

Module A: Ancient Topography

The first module is organized into three sections.

A.1 Introduction to Ancient Topography

This section examines the history, aims, and scope of ancient topography as a discipline. Particular attention is devoted to the importance and contribution of ancient sources, as well as to the different categories of evidence employed in the study of topography and the reconstruction of ancient landscapes, including toponymy, historical and thematic cartography, aerial photography, and satellite imagery.

A.2 Methods and Tools for Territorial Analysis

This section focuses on the methodologies, instruments, and techniques employed in the diachronic study of landscapes and territories. Topics include direct and instrumental survey methods, archaeological field survey, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), databases, and other digital tools for the collection, management, and analysis of spatial data.

A.3 Landscapes, Settlement Patterns, and the Built Environment

The final section explores ancient landscapes and territories at different scales and with varying degrees of human occupation. It examines their principal components, including cities, villas, rural territories, road networks, and centuriation systems. Particular emphasis is placed on urban planning and architecture in the Classical world, with selected case studies from Magna Graecia, Sicily, and Rome.

 

Module B: Technical Analysis of Ancient Monuments

The second module is likewise divided into three sections.

B.1 Introduction to the Technical Analysis of Ancient Monuments

This section addresses the history, objectives, and potential of the technical analysis of ancient monuments, highlighting its contribution to the reconstruction of the social, cultural, and economic dimensions of the ancient world.

B.2 Methods for the Study of Ancient Buildings

This section examines the methodologies, instruments, and techniques employed in the material and constructional characterization of ancient buildings. Topics include standing-building stratigraphy, architectural survey, non-invasive diagnostic investigations, and the production of thematic maps and other forms of synthetic documentation.

B.3 Building Materials, Structural Systems, and Construction Techniques

Drawing once again on historical sources, the final section adopts a diachronic perspective to analyze structural elements, building materials, and construction techniques. The objective is to provide students with the tools necessary for the study and critical reconstruction of building processes and architectural practice in Classical antiquity.

Specific focuses will be held by A. Mazzaglia, subject Expert and holder of the National Scientific Qualification for Full Professorship (First Level) in Archaeology.

Modulo A

Quilici, L. – Quilici Gigli, S., Introduzione alla topografia antica, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2004 (Pp. 7-186) (Tot pp.179)

 

Giorgi E. (a cura di), In profondità senza scavare. Metodologie di indagine non invasiva e diagnostica per l’archeologia, BraDypUS, Bologna (Pp. 29-90) (Tot pp. 61)

 

Carafa P., Storie dai contesti. Metodologie e procedure della ricerca archeologica, Mondadori, Milano 2021, pp. 173-233 (Tot Pp. 60)

 

Mazzaglia A., Il paesaggio storico: fra legislazione, tecnologie e complessità, in Malfitana D., Archeologia Quo Vadis? Riflessioni metodologiche sul futuro di una disciplina, Catania 2018, pp.255-277) (Tot. Pp.22)

 

Malfitana D. Mazzaglia A., Archeologia globale a Catania. Nuove prospettive dall’integrazione di ricerca archeologica e tecnologie ICT. Nuovi dati sull’anfiteatro romano, in Belvedere O., Bergemann J., La Sicilia Romana: Città e Territorio tra monumentalizzazione ed economia, crisi e sviluppo, Palermo University Press 2018, pp. 327-348. (Tot Pp. 21)

 

Modulo B

Giuliani C. F., L’edilizia nell’antichità, Roma (Varie edizioni) (Cap. I-VII). (Tot. Pp. 166)

 

G. Gullini, L’architettura, in A.A.VV. Sikanie. Storia e civiltà della Sicilia greca (da p. 417 a p. 491); il docente selezionerà dei monumenti, sulla base delle lezioni d’aula). (Tot. Pp. 74)

 

J. DeLaine, Architettura romana, Roma, Carocci, 2024 (selection of about 100 pages indicated by the professor).

 

Vitruvio, De architectura, (Passi scelti saranno commentati a lezione dal docente).

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