Gli scavi del 1861 lungo la Via Prenestina. Il sepolcreto e Villa Gordiani

Description

Through a methodological approach that combines archaeology, topography, epigraphy with archival and antiquarian research, the volume presents for the first time the complete edition of the excavations carried out in 1861 by Lorenzo Fortunati at the III mile of via Prenestina, during which a stretch of necropolis along the road was brought to light and some rooms pertinent to the so-called villa of the Gordiani were investigated. The recovery of the sources, consisting primarily of weekly reports sent by the excavator to the Ministry of Public Works, Industry, Agriculture, Commerce, and Fine Arts, allows us to shed light on the stages of exploration and to identify the contexts of origin of the epigraphic finds, most of which are now in the Vatican Museums. The analysis of the archaeological materials, accompanied by the study of archival and graphic documents contemporary to the excavation, allows us to detail the topographical picture of the site, currently compromised as a result of the wicked building speculation of the twentieth century that has completely altered the preservation of the ancient landscape.