Archaeology, Settlements and Environment
Archaeology, Settlements and Environment Research Group
The Archaeology, Settlements and Territory research group deals with the multiscale and diachronic study of settlements and territorial areas in the Mediterranean basin, using to the methodological approaches and investigation themes of landscape archaeology, ancient topography, archaeological aero-topography, archaeometallurgy, architectural archaeology, classical and medieval archaeology, monument surveying and demography.
The group, which integrates multidisciplinary expertise, also aims to contribute to a better understanding of the relationships between human mobility, trade and landscape transformations in the countries of the Mediterranean basin, also through collaboration with other research Institutes.
The study of tangible and intangible cultural heritage with an integrated and multidisciplinary approach is envisaged for the diachronic reconstruction of the contexts and complex relationships existing between the mobility of the population and the transformations of the landscape. The research is based on the study of historical, literary and cartographic sources, demographic, geographical and archaeological investigation including ground survey activities for the creation of digital archaeological maps, aerial and satellite remote sensing applications for archaeology, and topographical and architectural scale surveys.
The ultimate goal is to enrich the knowledge of the cultural heritage through historical reconstruction based on exhaustive documentation and accurate interpretation of data.
Research lines
Settlement strategies and exploitation of natural resources
As far as the territorial contexts are concerned, the research group deals with settlement’s systems belonging to pre-roman, roman and medieval periods, their road network systems, land divisions, natural resources exploitations (namely stone quarries and metal ores mining districts), and the organization of territories at the borders of Roman Empire (limes Africanus and limes Orientalis).
Urban organisation and building sites
With respect to the ancient settlements, the group intends to focus on the urban layout of pre-roman, roman and medieval centres, with particular attention to constructive aspects of buildings, to the building techniques and to the procurement of building materials.
Human mobility between history and landscape
In this context, the group deals with analysis of the existing relationships between human mobility and landscape transformations through a systemic approach; study of cultural heritage management as a resource for the sustainable development of disadvantaged areas; use and strategic function of cultural heritage sciences to promote diplomatic actions.
Building on existing research projects, the case studies include Italy, Spain, Northern Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya), Sudan, Albania, North Macedonia, Greece, Asia Minor (Turkey) and Near East (Israel, Jordan, Syria and Iraq).
Staff Archeologia, Insediamenti e Territorio
Alessia Allegrini
Sara Bozza
Giuseppe Cacciaguerra
Maria Piera Caggia
Gianluca Cantoro
Giacomo Casa
Immacolata Ditaranto
Patrizia Gentile
Elisa Grassi
Sabrina Greco
Valeria Guarnera
Tommaso Ismaelli
Fiorella De Luca
Lorenza Ilia Manfredi
Pasquale Merola
Ilaria Miccoli
Giorgio Franco Pocobelli
Giuseppe Scardozzi
Associati al Gruppo Archeologia, Insediamenti e Territorio
Marco Galli (Sapienza Università di Roma), Massimo Musacchio (Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia).
How to contact us
archterrgroup@ispc.cnr.it
Projects and Research activities
Built archaeology, informatics and chemical-physical sciences for the historical reconstruction construction sites and the gathering of stone materials of a roman and byzantine town in Asia Minor, Hierapolis in Phrygia (national coordinator G. Scardozzi).
CNR Joint Archaeological Laboratory (2014/15), Resp. G. Cacciaguerra.
CNR Joint Archaeological Laboratory (2015716), Resp. G. Scardozzi.
CNR Joint Archaeological Laboratory (2015/16), Resp. L.I. Manfredi.
CNR Joint Archaeological Laboratory (2019/20), Resp. L.I. Manfredi.
The Monumental Nymphaeum of Tripolis ad Maeandrum – Archaeology, architecture and restoration. Resp. T. Ismaelli.
CNR Joint Archaeological Laboratory (2021/22), Resp. F. De Luca
Exploring mountainous fortified context in Byzantine Mediterranean
CNR Joint Archaeological Laboratory (2021/22), Resp. G. Cantoro.
MAECI Project (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs) Marocco 2013-2020, Resp. L.I. Manfredi.
MAECI Project (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs) Albania 2019-2021, Resp. P. Merola.
In collaboration with the Archaeological Park of Coliseum and Sapienza University of Rome, Resp. T. Ismaelli
MAECI Project (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs) North Macedonia 2021, Resp. P. Merola.
Bilateral agreement CNR-MoES (Albania) 2021-2022, Resp. P. Merola.
For further information on ISPC research activities click the button.
Main collaborations
Universities
- Sapienza Università di Roma, Dipartimento di Scienze dell’Antichità
- Universidad de Málaga, Departamento de Ciencias Históricas
- Università degli Studi di Firenze, Dipartimento di Storia, Archeologia, Geografia, Arte, Spettacolo
- Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici
- Università del Salento, Dipartimento di Beni Culturali
Public Institutions
- Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Escuela de Estudios Arabes (CSIC-EEA)
- Institute for Mediterranean Studies – Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas (IMS-FORTH)
- Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV)
- Missione Archeologia Italiana a Hierapolis di Frigia (MAIER)
Archaeological Superintendences
- Parco Archeologico del Colosseo, Palatino e Foro Romano
- Parco Archeologico di Leontinoi e Megara
- Parco Archeologico di Siracusa, Eloro, Villa del Tellaro e Akrai
- Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio per l’area metropolitana di Firenze e le Province di Prato e Pistoia
- Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio per la Provincia di Viterbo e per l’Etruria meridionale
- Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio per le Province di Brindisi e Lecce
- Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio per le Province di Pisa e Livorno
Archives
- Aerofototeca Nazionale, Roma – Istituto Centrale per il Catalogo e la Documentazione
Main publications
G. Cacciaguerra, Dinamiche insediative, cultura materiale e scambi in Sicilia tra Tardoantico e Altomedioevo. Il caso del sito di Santa Caterina (Melilli, SR), in Archeologia Medievale, XXXV, 2008, pp. 427-452.
G. Scardozzi (a cura di), Il limes orientale tra Siria e Iraq. Dalle fotografie aeree di Padre Antoine Poidebard e Sir Aurel Stein alle immagini satellitari “storiche” e recenti, in Archeologia Aerea, 8, Suppl. monografico, Foggia 2014.
T. Ismaelli, G. Scardozzi (eds.), Ancient quarries and building sites in Asia Minor. Research on Hierapolis in Phrygia and other cities in south-western Anatolia: archaeology, archaeometry, conservation, Bibliotecha Archaeologica 45, Edipuglia, Bari 2016.
F. D’Andria, M.P. Caggia, T. Ismaelli (a cura di), Le attività delle campagne di scavo e restauro 2007-2011, Hierapolis di Frigia VIII, Ege Yayınları, Istanbul 2016.
S. Greco, Migrazioni e processi di urbanizzazione: aspetti dell’esperienza marocchina, in Percorsi migranti (a cura di G. C. Bruno, I. Caruso, M. Sanna, I. Vellecco) ed. McGraw-Hill, Milano 2011, pp. 131-141.
T. Ismaelli, Il Tempio A del Santuario di Apollo, Hierapolis di Frigia X, Ege Yayınları, Istanbul 2017.
P. Merola, M. Cozzolino, V. Gentile, L.I. Manfredi, Le mura ottagonali della fortezza di Ighram Aousser (Marocco) attraverso l’integrazione di dati satellitari, indagini elettromagnetiche ed attività di survey, in Archeologia Aerea 12, 2018, pp. 155-158.
F. De Luca, Divisioni agrarie antiche nel territorio di Taranto, in Archeologia Aerea, 11, 2019, pp. 91- 98.
L.I. Manfredi, A. Dekayir, Y. Bokbot, Ancient mines in pre-roman Maghreb. Present and future of archaeological, geophysical and archaeometric researches, in Arid Zone Archaeology Monographs 8, 2019, pp. 63-71.
G. Scardozzi, Il territorio di Hierapolis di Frigia. Guida archeologica, Ege Yayinlari, Istanbul 2020.
P. Merola, Un progetto open per l’archeologia del Montenegro e dell’area adriatica dei Balcani: strumenti e contenuti geospaziali per la costruzione di un GIS, in C. Sfameni, T. Koprivca (a cura di), Archeologia Italiana in Montenegro. Storia e prospettive di una cooperazione scientifica, Bridges: Italy Montenegro series 2, Roma 2020, pp. 203-223.
L.I. Manfredi, A. Dekayir, Y. Bokbot, B. Ouchaou, S. Festuccia, M. Cozzolino, V. Gentile, P.Merola, L. Repola, C. Cecalupo, M. Seghir, Integrated multi scale archaeological analysis in Béni Mellal-Khenifra District (Morocco): the case of Fortress of Aouam, in Archeologia e Calcolatori 31, 2020, pp. 97-120.
G.F. Pocobelli, L’assetto del territorio nordoccidentale di Firenze: centuriazione e viabilità, in M. Salvini, S. Faralli (a cura di), ‘Archeologia invisibile’ a Firenze. Storia degli scavi e delle scoperte tra San Lorenzo, Santa Maria Novella e Fortezza da Basso, Firenze 2020, pp. 207-219.
