Articles by Ascanio D'Andrea

The institutional goal of studying and mapping archaeological potential in SITAR in recent years has been to create an efficient tool to support urban planning and cultural heritage management: The Archaeological Potential Map of Rome. The Soprintendenza of Rome plays a key role in this effort, being responsible for the safeguarding and promotion of the city’s archaeological heritage. By developing a robust model of archaeological potential, the Soprintendenza can better anticipate and mitigate the impact of construction and development projects on archaeological sites. This proactive approach ensures that significant archaeological resources are identified and preserved before they are damaged or destroyed. The tool will facilitate informed decision-making in urban planning, helping to balance the needs of modern development with the preservation of historical sites. Moreover, it will support the regulatory framework that mandates archaeological assessments in high-potential areas, rationalisation of administrative processes and improving compliance with heritage protection regulations. Overall, the creation of an efficient archaeological potential model by the Soprintendenza of Rome underlines the commitment to preserving the city’s cultural heritage while accommodating its continuous urban evolution.

In 2018 the Parco Archeologico del Colosseo set out on a three-year basis project, the ‘Risk Map of Floors Surfaces’, with the aim of preserving and monitoring all the in situ floor coverings of the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill areas (mosaics, sectile, cement floors, spicata). In order to systematically address this methodological approach a team of archaeologists, architects and restorers designed and created a comprehensive and functional information management system, the ‘Risk Map of the Mosaic and Marble Surfaces’, together with a web-based application with integrated webGIS tools. The platform is used daily to record historical-archaeological and archival data and it has become an essential tool in planning interventions in the field. This approach brings the Parco to move from emergency maintenance to a continuous cycle of systematic maintenance. At the end of the first three-year phase of the project, an interactive web map was published online in May 2022 to share selected data related to the ancient floors of the Parco with public users. At this stage, the web map (https://cdrweb.parcocolosseo.it) allows to obtain descriptive texts and a gallery of images of the ancient floors; there are plans in the next future to improve data sharing through API and web map services.