Thesis title: Mapping the Void: Landscapes of Roman Travertine Extraction
This thesis reveals the hidden scars and enduring legacies of material extraction on landscapes, centering on the ancient yet persistently exploited Roman travertine quarries near Rome. Unfolding the tension between rugged extraction sites and polished urban spaces, the study critiques architecture’s reliance on a “Western Paradox” where development and destruction coexist. Through political ecology and interdisciplinary analysis, it unearths the rich ecological, historical, and political narratives surrounding travertine, attempting to reveal its consequences through a mapping project.
In three sections, the research first addresses Necropolitics of Extraction, exposing architecture’s detachment from the material realities of production and spotlighting the social and environmental costs of consumption. The second section, Lapis Tiburtinus, turns to travertine itself, tracing its symbolic and structural roles across millennia, from shaping Rome’s grandeur to transforming its landscapes. The final section, Mapping Travertine Extraction, uses cartographies of water, waste, and labor to bring the invisible forces of extraction into stark relief, illustrating both local devastations and global dependencies.