Forward to Supplemento 11, 2019.

Introduction to Supplemento 11, 2019.

After some general considerations on recent approaches in Balkan archaeology, the Author makes a first attempt to describe the Doclea landscape, through the eyes of a proto-historian. Drawing upon the collection of the existing published data on the pre-Roman period, the valley’s history before Romanization is set forth, with some preliminary observations on possible roads and passages, both commercial and cultural, used by the communities that inhabited the region.

The Authors consider the interest that Italian government institutions have demonstrated since the late 19th century to the present, in the archaeological exploration of Doclea, the most significant Roman city in Montenegro. It points out the link existing between those interests and the Italian foreign policy towards the Balkans, as well as to the discontinuities in Italy’s interest in Doclea and clarification of the reasons for such happenings. The activities of the Italian scientists are set forth, as they individually or as participants of archaeological missions contributed to the research into Doclea and its presentation (Giovanni Battista de Rossi, Guido Cora, Roberto Paribeni, Dante Vaglieri, Piero Sticotti). Attention is also drawn to the negative aspect of the Italian interests in Doclea, specifically the removal of artefacts from the site during the time of the Italian occupation of Montenegro (1941 to 1943).

This paper presents a historical and epigraphical survey of the inscriptions from Doclea. Due to devastation and inadequate protection by the relevant institutions, a large number of inscriptions have disappeared or have been destroyed by the local population and irresponsible researchers. Bearing that in mind, every new inscription is important for understanding the history and everyday life in Roman Doclea.

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.

Since 2016, an extensive survey has been conducted at the archaeological site of Doclea in the areas between the forum, the basilica, the Capitolium, the thermae and the walls of the city, as well as around the eastern medieval churches, and in the S part of the temple of Dea Roma and of the private house. GPR results have produced a detailed and extensive plan of hidden structures (walls, roads, ditches and gullies) inside the walls of the city. The knowledge of these features is of great worth in promoting archaeological excavations and projects of valorisation for the site.

The study of the architecture of the main public buildings of Doclea is being carried out on the basis of bibliographical and archival sources, integrated with the direct analysis of the existing structures. Research aimed at finding documents of the earlier explorers of Doclea, as well as documentary photographs, are particularly important. We also analyse the main buildings of Doclea in the context of Roman architecture, seeking to identify local and regional features. An analysis of the existing structures, combining archaeological and architectural methods, according to the most modern theories of the so-called archaeology of architecture, is essential. This same approach was applied to the monuments in the forum area and in the main thermae, where we have collected a series of data that we are now processing. The ultimate goal of our research is to produce a 3D reconstruction of the main buildings.

The title of this section consciously recalls that of the project currently running in Doclea for 2018-2020 (‘The Future of the Past: Study and Enhancement of Ancient Doclea, Montenegro’). The Authors focus their attention not only on extracting scientific knowledge and seeking the preservation of the site, but also on considering its future development and utilisation. The final goal is the design and completion of a sustainable plan for the relaunch of the site, in order to hand it back to its community as a tool for socio-cultural and economic growth. The rediscovery of the cultural identity of the territory and the collective memory of a community can give new life to past material culture and traditions, offering to visitors and inhabitants an integrated human experience of physical and mental well-being.