Can Integrated Geophysical Investigations Solve an Archaeological Problem? The Case of the So-Called Domus septem Parthorum in Rome (Italy)

Pier Matteo Barone; Giorgia Carlucci; Francesco Smriglio; Francesco Basile; Giuseppe Della Monica

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ija.s.2015030101.13

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Can Integrated Geophysical Investigations Solve an Archaeological Problem? The Case of the So-Called Domus septem Parthorum in Rome (Italy)

Pier Matteo Barone, Giorgia Carlucci, Francesco Smriglio, Francesco Basile, Giuseppe Della Monica

Published in International Journal of Archaeology (Volume 3, Issue 1-1)

Received: 5 December 2014 Accepted: 6 December 2014 Published: 27 December 2014

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Abstract

Integrated geophysical prospecting has produced remarkable results in the field of archaeology. In addition to the recognition of archaeological sites, the evolution of a site can be reconstructed. Therefore, the combination of more than one geophysical technique can aid in understanding the layout of a site and help to answer interpretative questions. In this paper, we illustrate the use of two geophysical prospecting methods – ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) – to interpret the archaeological site of the so-called Domus septem Parthorum in the center of Rome (Italy). The ability to investigate the subsurface at different horizontal and vertical resolutions demonstrates the advantage of using these two methods. The GPR provides high-resolution data on the upper remains in the shallow part of the soil, and the ERT detects deeper targets for a complete and exhaustive reconstruction of the buried anomalies. The results of this paper confirm the archaeological hypothesis that this so-called domus was repurposed as a house of worship during the Late Antiquity. In particular, the integrated geophysical acquisition supports the possible existence of a buried Paleochristian basilica.

Published in	International Journal of Archaeology (Volume 3, Issue 1-1) This article belongs to the Special Issue Archaeological Sciences
DOI	10.11648/j.ija.s.2015030101.13
Page(s)	21-25
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

GPR, ERT, Archaeology, Integrated Investigations, Domus septem Parthorum, Late Antiquity

References

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[3]	M. Moscatelli, S. Piscitelli, S. Piro, F. Stigliano, A. Giocoli, D. Zamuner, and F. Marconi, Integrated geological and geophysical investigations to characterize the anthropic layer of the Palatine hill and Roman Forum (Rome, Italy), Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering, 12, 3, 2014, pp. 1319-1338. DOI: 10.1007/s10518-013-9460-5K.
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[8]	N.G. Papadopoulos, A. Sarris, W.A. Parkinson, A. Gyucha, R.W. Yerkes, P.R. Duffy, and P. Tsourlos, Electrical Resistivity Tomography for the Modelling of Cultural Deposits and Geomophological Landscapes at Neolithic Sites: a Case Study from Southeastern Hungary, Archaeological Prospection, 2014, Early view. DOI: 10.1002/arp.1480
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[14]	M.H. Loke, Electrical imaging surveys for environmental and engineering studies. A practical guide to 2-D and 3-D surveys, 1997, Penang, Malaysia.
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Pier Matteo Barone, Giorgia Carlucci, Francesco Smriglio, Francesco Basile, Giuseppe Della Monica. (2014). Can Integrated Geophysical Investigations Solve an Archaeological Problem? The Case of the So-Called Domus septem Parthorum in Rome (Italy). International Journal of Archaeology, 3(1-1), 21-25. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ija.s.2015030101.13

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ACS Style

Pier Matteo Barone; Giorgia Carlucci; Francesco Smriglio; Francesco Basile; Giuseppe Della Monica. Can Integrated Geophysical Investigations Solve an Archaeological Problem? The Case of the So-Called Domus septem Parthorum in Rome (Italy). Int. J. Archaeol. 2014, 3(1-1), 21-25. doi: 10.11648/j.ija.s.2015030101.13

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Pier Matteo Barone, Giorgia Carlucci, Francesco Smriglio, Francesco Basile, Giuseppe Della Monica. Can Integrated Geophysical Investigations Solve an Archaeological Problem? The Case of the So-Called Domus septem Parthorum in Rome (Italy). Int J Archaeol. 2014;3(1-1):21-25. doi: 10.11648/j.ija.s.2015030101.13

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@article{10.11648/j.ija.s.2015030101.13,
  author = {Pier Matteo Barone and Giorgia Carlucci and Francesco Smriglio and Francesco Basile and Giuseppe Della Monica},
  title = {Can Integrated Geophysical Investigations Solve an Archaeological Problem? The Case of the So-Called Domus septem Parthorum in Rome (Italy)},
  journal = {International Journal of Archaeology},
  volume = {3},
  number = {1-1},
  pages = {21-25},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ija.s.2015030101.13},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ija.s.2015030101.13},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ija.s.2015030101.13},
  abstract = {Integrated geophysical prospecting has produced remarkable results in the field of archaeology. In addition to the recognition of archaeological sites, the evolution of a site can be reconstructed. Therefore, the combination of more than one geophysical technique can aid in understanding the layout of a site and help to answer interpretative questions. In this paper, we illustrate the use of two geophysical prospecting methods – ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) – to interpret the archaeological site of the so-called Domus septem Parthorum in the center of Rome (Italy). The ability to investigate the subsurface at different horizontal and vertical resolutions demonstrates the advantage of using these two methods. The GPR provides high-resolution data on the upper remains in the shallow part of the soil, and the ERT detects deeper targets for a complete and exhaustive reconstruction of the buried anomalies. The results of this paper confirm the archaeological hypothesis that this so-called domus was repurposed as a house of worship during the Late Antiquity. In particular, the integrated geophysical acquisition supports the possible existence of a buried Paleochristian basilica.},
 year = {2014}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Can Integrated Geophysical Investigations Solve an Archaeological Problem? The Case of the So-Called Domus septem Parthorum in Rome (Italy)
AU  - Pier Matteo Barone
AU  - Giorgia Carlucci
AU  - Francesco Smriglio
AU  - Francesco Basile
AU  - Giuseppe Della Monica
Y1  - 2014/12/27
PY  - 2014
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ija.s.2015030101.13
DO  - 10.11648/j.ija.s.2015030101.13
T2  - International Journal of Archaeology
JF  - International Journal of Archaeology
JO  - International Journal of Archaeology
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PB  - Science Publishing Group
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AB  - Integrated geophysical prospecting has produced remarkable results in the field of archaeology. In addition to the recognition of archaeological sites, the evolution of a site can be reconstructed. Therefore, the combination of more than one geophysical technique can aid in understanding the layout of a site and help to answer interpretative questions. In this paper, we illustrate the use of two geophysical prospecting methods – ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) – to interpret the archaeological site of the so-called Domus septem Parthorum in the center of Rome (Italy). The ability to investigate the subsurface at different horizontal and vertical resolutions demonstrates the advantage of using these two methods. The GPR provides high-resolution data on the upper remains in the shallow part of the soil, and the ERT detects deeper targets for a complete and exhaustive reconstruction of the buried anomalies. The results of this paper confirm the archaeological hypothesis that this so-called domus was repurposed as a house of worship during the Late Antiquity. In particular, the integrated geophysical acquisition supports the possible existence of a buried Paleochristian basilica.
VL  - 3
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Author Information

Pier Matteo Barone

Archaeology and Classics Program, The American University of Rome, Via Pietro Roselli, 4 – 00153 Rome, Italy
Giorgia Carlucci

Department of Science, University of Roma Tre, Via della Vasca Navale, 84 – 00146 Rome, Italy
Francesco Smriglio

Department of Science, University of Roma Tre, Via della Vasca Navale, 84 – 00146 Rome, Italy
Francesco Basile

Department of Science, University of Roma Tre, Via della Vasca Navale, 84 – 00146 Rome, Italy
Giuseppe Della Monica

Department of Science, University of Roma Tre, Via della Vasca Navale, 84 – 00146 Rome, Italy

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APA Style

Pier Matteo Barone, Giorgia Carlucci, Francesco Smriglio, Francesco Basile, Giuseppe Della Monica. (2014). Can Integrated Geophysical Investigations Solve an Archaeological Problem? The Case of the So-Called Domus septem Parthorum in Rome (Italy). International Journal of Archaeology, 3(1-1), 21-25. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ija.s.2015030101.13

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ACS Style

Pier Matteo Barone; Giorgia Carlucci; Francesco Smriglio; Francesco Basile; Giuseppe Della Monica. Can Integrated Geophysical Investigations Solve an Archaeological Problem? The Case of the So-Called Domus septem Parthorum in Rome (Italy). Int. J. Archaeol. 2014, 3(1-1), 21-25. doi: 10.11648/j.ija.s.2015030101.13

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AMA Style

Pier Matteo Barone, Giorgia Carlucci, Francesco Smriglio, Francesco Basile, Giuseppe Della Monica. Can Integrated Geophysical Investigations Solve an Archaeological Problem? The Case of the So-Called Domus septem Parthorum in Rome (Italy). Int J Archaeol. 2014;3(1-1):21-25. doi: 10.11648/j.ija.s.2015030101.13

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@article{10.11648/j.ija.s.2015030101.13,
  author = {Pier Matteo Barone and Giorgia Carlucci and Francesco Smriglio and Francesco Basile and Giuseppe Della Monica},
  title = {Can Integrated Geophysical Investigations Solve an Archaeological Problem? The Case of the So-Called Domus septem Parthorum in Rome (Italy)},
  journal = {International Journal of Archaeology},
  volume = {3},
  number = {1-1},
  pages = {21-25},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ija.s.2015030101.13},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ija.s.2015030101.13},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ija.s.2015030101.13},
  abstract = {Integrated geophysical prospecting has produced remarkable results in the field of archaeology. In addition to the recognition of archaeological sites, the evolution of a site can be reconstructed. Therefore, the combination of more than one geophysical technique can aid in understanding the layout of a site and help to answer interpretative questions. In this paper, we illustrate the use of two geophysical prospecting methods – ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) – to interpret the archaeological site of the so-called Domus septem Parthorum in the center of Rome (Italy). The ability to investigate the subsurface at different horizontal and vertical resolutions demonstrates the advantage of using these two methods. The GPR provides high-resolution data on the upper remains in the shallow part of the soil, and the ERT detects deeper targets for a complete and exhaustive reconstruction of the buried anomalies. The results of this paper confirm the archaeological hypothesis that this so-called domus was repurposed as a house of worship during the Late Antiquity. In particular, the integrated geophysical acquisition supports the possible existence of a buried Paleochristian basilica.},
 year = {2014}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Can Integrated Geophysical Investigations Solve an Archaeological Problem? The Case of the So-Called Domus septem Parthorum in Rome (Italy)
AU  - Pier Matteo Barone
AU  - Giorgia Carlucci
AU  - Francesco Smriglio
AU  - Francesco Basile
AU  - Giuseppe Della Monica
Y1  - 2014/12/27
PY  - 2014
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ija.s.2015030101.13
DO  - 10.11648/j.ija.s.2015030101.13
T2  - International Journal of Archaeology
JF  - International Journal of Archaeology
JO  - International Journal of Archaeology
SP  - 21
EP  - 25
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-7595
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ija.s.2015030101.13
AB  - Integrated geophysical prospecting has produced remarkable results in the field of archaeology. In addition to the recognition of archaeological sites, the evolution of a site can be reconstructed. Therefore, the combination of more than one geophysical technique can aid in understanding the layout of a site and help to answer interpretative questions. In this paper, we illustrate the use of two geophysical prospecting methods – ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) – to interpret the archaeological site of the so-called Domus septem Parthorum in the center of Rome (Italy). The ability to investigate the subsurface at different horizontal and vertical resolutions demonstrates the advantage of using these two methods. The GPR provides high-resolution data on the upper remains in the shallow part of the soil, and the ERT detects deeper targets for a complete and exhaustive reconstruction of the buried anomalies. The results of this paper confirm the archaeological hypothesis that this so-called domus was repurposed as a house of worship during the Late Antiquity. In particular, the integrated geophysical acquisition supports the possible existence of a buried Paleochristian basilica.
VL  - 3
IS  - 1-1
ER  -

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