Articles by Emanuela Ceccaroni

2016 Open Access Article Download PDF BibTeX

L'acquedotto romano di Alba Fucens (AQ). Un GIS per il processo di ricerca, tutela e valorizzazione del sito

Dario Rose, Emanuela Ceccaroni

Abstract

The study case of the Roman aqueduct of Alba Fucens, Massa d’Albe (AQ), Abruzzo region confirms that GIS is an essential tool for archaeological research on the territory and for the planning of archaeological safeguarding activity. The colony of Alba Fucens, founded at the end of the 4th century BC, during the late-republican age, was provided with water by an aqueduct that, thanks to the channel and to an inverted siphon, was capable of bringing water from a distance of 10 km. All research records are organized within the GIS, which is a necessary tool for many reasons: the development of the study, the constant verification of the data, the publication of the research results, and also the archaeological safeguarding and monitoring activities. The GIS open source (gvSIG) is the ideal common platform for the institutions working on the cultural site (Superintendency for the Archaeological Heritage, University, Natural Regional Park), as it allows us to share the data and to perform particular thematic elaborations and planning activities. The possibility to share the difficulties with the community of reference (gvsig-italian at lists.osgeo.org) and to participate in their solutions, stimulates open software development and assures the longevity of GIS products, which is always subject to upgrades and research requirements. On the GIS platform other kinds of useful information are mapped, considering that the aqueduct runs in an urbanized area. Therefore, every single problem detected can be marked for security and maintenance intervention. The GIS platform can also be used for touristic control and vigilance purposes. The development of a walking tour along the course of the aqueduct, from the sources to the archaeological area of Alba Fucens, which is inside the Sirente-Velino Natural Regional Park, will allow visitors to discover it and to enjoy learning about the ancient Roman construction, thanks to a guide and to the educational contents using the webGIS interface.

«Archeologia e Calcolatori» 2016, Supplemento 8, 115-120