Articles by Francesca Colosi

2019 Open Access Article Download PDF BibTeX

The urban planning of Doclea: remote sensing and topographical survey

Francesca Colosi, Pasquale Merola, Paola Moscati

Abstract

The paper presents the study of Doclea by remote sensing (satellite, aerial photos, drone) and the first results of the topographic survey conducted within the urban walls. The analysis of the images has highlighted buried structures that follow the same alignment as the walls visible above ground. The same anomalies are detected on the geophysical maps. The territorial survey, conducted with the aid of a differential GPS to position the emerging structures, has allowed one to identify numerous ancient structures, sometimes preserved to some height, which have the same orientation of the buildings of the forum and a stone paved road corresponding to a cardo of the city. Analysing the archaeological findings, the geophysical results and the measurements of the principal monuments and the roads, a hypothetical reconstruction of the Doclea urban plan is presented, which, naturally, can only be verified with further research and with excavation on the spot.

«Archeologia e Calcolatori» 2019, Supplemento 11, 59-75; doi: 10.19282/ACS.11.2019.06

2013 Open Access Article Download PDF BibTeX

Discovering Chan Chan: modern technologies for urban and architectural analysis

Francesca Colosi, Roberto Gabrielli, Roberto Orazi, Eva Savina Malinverni

Abstract

Since 2002, the Italian Mission of CNR-ITABC has been operating in the archaeological complex of Chan Chan (Peru), which is the largest pre-Columbian settlement entirely built with adobe. In 1989 Chan Chan was placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The main purpose of the work is aimed at the conservation, documentation and use of the site and of the territory that is related to Chan Chan from a historical and cultural point of view. The urban structure of Chan Chan, which is spread over a surface of 14 km2, has a number of buildings which characterizes the town at both an architectural (ciudadelas, huacas, huachaques) and decorative level (bas-reliefs, geometrical motifs). In order to achieve our research goals, we had to arrange for the combined use of various analysis techniques that would provide both urban and architectural information about the town. The data we obtained allowed us to make a more up-to-date interpretation of the urban fabric and revealed intriguing details regarding the construction phases of one of its palaces which will be helpful both for the planning of the Archaeological Park and the restoration project of the Palacio Rivero.

«Archeologia e Calcolatori» 2013, 24, 187-207; doi: 10.19282/ac.24.2013.09

2007 Open Access Article Download PDF BibTeX

Tecniche speditive per la ricostruzione tridimensionale dell’area archeologica di Villa Magna

Andrea Angelini, Francesca Colosi, Roberto Gabrielli, Elizabeth Fentress, Cinzia Filippone

Abstract

The article presents the results of the GPS and photographic surveys conducted on the archaeological site of Villa Magna (Anagni, Lazio). The archaeological complex, identified as the imperial residence of Antoninus Pius, occupies an area of about 22 hectares. Presently, the visible remains are divided into two principal nuclei: the northern one, near the church of S. Pietro, and the southern one, occupied by a farmhouse. The aim of the survey was the reconstruction of the morphology of the terrain in order to produce a Digital Terrain Model and to highlight the relationship between natural elements and ancient structures. In order to speed up the work, a new procedure was used. It consists of a Differential GPS used in a kinematic way by mounting the rover antenna on a jeep. In this article the experimental method’s advantages and the problems of acquisition are analysed. Moreover, low altitude photographs of the archaeological excavations were taken using an aerostatic balloon. The photographic system was anchored to the balloon with a radio-controlled device called Picavet. Georeferenced photos can be very useful not only for documenting but also for presenting and exploiting the site.

«Archeologia e Calcolatori» 2007, 18, 141-158; doi: 10.19282/ac.18.2007.08

2003 Open Access Article Download PDF BibTeX

Cerveteri: topografia della Vigna Parrocchiale II. Metodologie integrate per lo studio di un'area archeologica, con Appendici di D. Petrelli e P. Mauriello

Francesca Colosi, Roberto Gabrielli, Paolo Mauriello, Daniela Peloso

Abstract

The article presents activities and specific technologies connected to a multidisciplinary project, developed within the 'Caere Project' (http://www.progettocaere.rm.cnr.it) and conducted by researchers of the CNR-ITABC and the University of Molise. The goal of the research is to contribute to the archaeological documentation of the Etruscan town of Cerveteri (Rome-Italy), employing a vast array of technologies for the 3D reconstruction of the landscape. The research is also aimed at integrating instruments for topographic relief and innovative methodologies of surveying (DGPS, total stations, 3D laser scanning), to collect geometrical and morphological data at territorial and site scale. A geophysical survey in the Vigna Parrocchiale area, located in the centre of the urban plateau, was carried out using geoelectric methods of investigation to enable archaeologists to detect subsurface structures. The results obtained and illustrated in this paper will be validated by the reopening in the near future of the excavations by CNR-ISCIMA.

«Archeologia e Calcolatori» 2003, 14, 177-197; doi: 10.19282/ac.14.2003.08

2001 Open Access Article Download PDF BibTeX

Impiego del Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) per lo studio del paesaggio antico: alcuni esempi rappresentativi

Francesca Colosi, Roberto Gabrielli, Daniela Peloso, Dario Rose

Abstract

In recent years, the use of DGPS (Digital Ground Positioning System) satellite antennas has become widespread within the framework of the historical-topographic research. They give us the possibility of geo-referencing, in a simple manner, different objects spread across the territory, and permit the delimitation and geometrical survey of specific areas rendered in the shape of polygons. In the present project, new case-studies, aimed at defining new procedures for the geo-referencing of territorial elements, are produced. In these case-studies the use of DGPS, employed in a new and integrated way with other modern topographical instruments, has enabled us to survey complex structures and to produce detailed morphological studies of the sites. The archaeological sites that have been examined show great differences. Firstly, in their geomorphologic characteristics, the historical period, the cultural environment and related problems and secondly, for the different scale of the research, procedures and level of investigation of the archaeological research.

«Archeologia e Calcolatori» 2001, 12, 181-197; doi: 10.19282/ac.12.2001.10

2000 Open Access Article Download PDF BibTeX

Lo studio del territorio impiegando diverse metodologie d'indagine: il caso della valle del Tevere

Francesca Colosi, Alessandra Costantini, Roberto Gabrielli, Salvatore Piro, Paola Santoro

Abstract

In general, a territory can be considered as the centre which contains all information related to different historical ages. The study of a portion of a given territory characterised by the presence of archaeological sites must be aimed at the complete and accurate acquisition of environmental data (e.g. topography, geo-morphology, litho-stratigraphy, land use, etc.), which will be used for an overall study of the site, the reconstruction of the man-environment interaction, and the evaluation of possible applications of geophysical prospecting methods. By interpreting different sets of remote-sensing data, studying existing geological and geo-morphological information and through systematic field work (e.g. archaeological survey, geophysical investigations, etc.), a wide spectrum of environmental data can be collected. The methodology of a complete analysis of the territory can be summarised as follows: analysis of remote-sensing data sets and their geo-referencing; DTM of the selected study area; morphological and geological definition of the selected study area; identification, location and geo-referencing of all archaeological sites in the territory; high-resolution integrated geophysical prospecting methods, to delineate the extension of the site and to locate the archaeological structures; a complete description of the site in its environmental context; definition of an integrated analysis method, based on the spatial correlation of the different data sets; study and design of a GIS for the management of all data sets which have been collected, elaborated and interpreted; definition of a model for the knowledge and protection of the historical and environmental aspects of the territory.

«Archeologia e Calcolatori» 2000, 11, 171-189; doi: 10.19282/ac.11.2000.09

1999 Open Access Article Download PDF BibTeX

Il Tevere e il suo antico corso

Alessandra Costantini, Anna De Meo, Francesca Colosi, Roberto Gabrielli

Abstract

In this paper, the results of a scientific collaboration between the Institute of Etrusco-Italic Archaeology, the Institute of Technologies Applied to Cultural Heritage and the Civic Museum of Magliano Sabina are presented. The aim of this research is to study the distribution of archaeological sites in the territory of Magliano Sabina (Tiber Valley) and their relationship with the environmental-historical context. This area is a section of the Tiber Valley, where the river has always represented an important element from an historical point of view. In the present day in this area the river no longer follows its original course, so it was decided to find its old course in order to better understand the distribution of the ancient settlements in this territory. On the basis of research carried out at the Archivio di Stato di Roma it was possible to verify that the river Tiber originally flowed in the lower part of Magliano Sabina, nowadays the area of “Piana di Ramelli”. The study of historical cartography allowed us to verify the change of the river course since 1589, the year of the construction of the “Felice” bridge. The data has been confirmed by the morphological and geological characterisation of the selected study area. A GIS of the area has been used to compare and integrate all data sets with the aim of producing thematic maps to better understand the environmental evolution of the territory of Magliano Sabina.

«Archeologia e Calcolatori» 1999, 10, 249-273; doi: 10.19282/ac.10.1999.18

1999 Open Access Article Download PDF BibTeX

Sabina Tiberina. Modellizzazione della distribuzione delle presenze archeologiche

Francesca Colosi, Giuseppe Espa, Salvatore Espa, Roberto Gabrielli, Ugo Ricci, Flaminia Verga

Abstract

The paper summarises some preliminary results obtained by a research team of the Istituto per le Tecnologie Applicate ai Beni Culturali of the Italian National Research Council (CNR-ITABC) in the archaeological area of Sabina Tiberina (Rieti). The study makes use of statistical methods and information technology with the goal of implementing a GIS of the above mentioned territory. The area investigated, falling within the counties of Magliano Sabina and Stimigliano, presents a wide chronological stratification dating from prehistory to the Roman age. The anthropological pre-existence considered show differences depending on settlements themselves which are always numerous in the various ages; in fact the proximity of the river (the Tiber) is the reason for their existence, allowing a cultural transmission besides the natural function of trade route. This paper is divided into two parts. In the first, all data concerning surveys carried out with the goal of finding and classifying the settlements of Roman age are included. In the second, some descriptive-documentary aspects gained through developing the GIS, together with statistical processing aimed at the creation of maps of data and settlements, are commented upon.

«Archeologia e Calcolatori» 1999, 10, 275-287; doi: 10.19282/ac.10.1999.19

1996 Open Access Article Download PDF BibTeX

Elaborazione ed interpretazione di immagini telerilevate per lo studio sistematico delle testimonianze antropiche nel territorio. I casi di Palmyra e di Selinunte

Francesca Colosi, Laura Pompeo, Domenico Sangiorgio, Cristina Zamboni

Abstract

Remote sensing, through orbital, airborne or close range images, is, today, the most accurate and suitable methodology to achieve an exhaustive investigation of a defined territory. It can be regarded as a great reservoir of any document left by past human societies, who settled in the studied area, from which it is possible to recover the spatial organisation of the culture produced by those societies. The multispectral images record both the reflected and the emitted energy; the latter is linked to the nature of the soil and, in particular, to standing structures. Through surface investigation, geophysical survey and accurate georeferencing, mainly by GPS receivers, it is possible to build a topographic information system to be integrated with the known information of all the preserved documents about the settlement system within the investigated region. Two case studies are discussed here: the area surrounding Palmyra in Syria and the territory of Selinus in Sicily; both illustrate, through newly discovered evidence, the results of the applied methodology.

«Archeologia e Calcolatori» 1996, 7, 51-71; doi: 10.19282/ac.7.1996.04