Tuesday, April 1, 3:00 p.m.
Some relationships between archaeological and geomorphological research: the valleys of Circo Massimo and San Vitale in Rome
Maurizio Del Monte (Sapienza University of Rome – DST)
Natural constraints and architectural design. The case of the Sanctuary of Hercules Victor in Tibur
Alessandra Ten (Sapienza University of Rome – DSA)
1st April 2025
Some relationships between archaeological and geomorphological research: the valleys of Circo Massimo and San Vitale in Rome
Maurizio Del Monte (Sapienza University of Rome – DST)
The territory of Rome has hosted an ever-changing urban centre over thousands of years.
One of the peculiarities of the historic centre is that it has been per¬manently inhabited for over at least three thousand years, a period of time in which countless anthropic interventions have profoundly changed the original shape of the natural landscape. The signs im¬printed on the pre-existing relief are considerable, often overlapping with each other in the same space, having been produced by multiple human activities that took place at different times.
Some examples of the numerous transformations undergone by the physical landscape over time will be presented, to show how deep was - and still it is today - the connection between the initial settlement choices, archaeology and the natural geomorphological characteristics of the territory of Rome.
Natural constraints and architectural design. The case of the Sanctuary of Hercules Victor in Tibur
Alessandra Ten (Sapienza University of Rome – DSA)
The interference of the geomorphological structure on the design and construction of ancient architecture finds a clear example in Tivoli in the Sanctuary of Hercules Victor.
Despite the apparent compositional simplicity represented by the triportic-temple-theater juxtaposition, the temple of Hercules Victor is perhaps one of the most significant challenges imposed on ancient planning by the morphological and geotechnical configuration of a site that was completely inadequate for the construction initially envisaged. Its construction was therefore convulsive and punctuated by second thoughts and damage repaired during the construction of which the surviving structures retain evidence. The reading and correct interpretation of these clues, conducted in parallel with the re-examination of the historical documentation relating to the monument, opens new perspectives to research on the evolution and chronology of the fundamental stages that led to its construction in the forms known today.