- Fondazione Museo Civico di Rovereto
Borgo Santa Caterina 41
38068 ROVERETO
Barbara Maurina
Fondazione Museo Civico di Rovereto, Sezione Archeologia, Department Member
- Roman Villae, Research Methodology, Roman Amphorae, Late Roman Amphorae, Late Antique Archaeology, Graeco-Roman Mosaics and Wall Paintings, and 11 moreLate Antique and medieval Road and Settlements in Byzantine Empire, Early Medieval Archaeology, Archaeological Excavation, Roman Painting, Byzantine North Africa, African amphorae, Castrum, Carolingian Iron Fittings, Afriican Amphorae, Anfore Tardoantiche, and Roman Wall Paintingedit
In the last 20 years archaeological excavations have provided new and significant evidence of the import of pottery in the Trentino – South Tyrol Region (Northern Italy) during the Roman and Late Antique period. In particular, although... more
In the last 20 years archaeological excavations have provided new and significant evidence of the import of pottery in the Trentino – South Tyrol Region (Northern Italy) during the Roman and Late Antique period. In particular, although the material was mostly found in a highly fragmentary state, the evidence of amphora sherds unearthed in urban and rural sites, points out that in this territory from the 1 st century BC to the Early Medieval period there was an almost constant demand for essential goods (especially wine, olive oil and fish sauces) usually transported in amphorae and that the region was part of a long distance exchange circuit supplied by seaborne trade. The recorded amphora types are quite numerous and show a provision of foodstuff both from Italy (especially between the 1 st century BC and the 2 nd century AD) and from different Mediterranean regions (Greece and Spain particularly in the first two centuries AD; North Africa and the Near East especially in the 4 th –7 th centuries AD). This supply was available thanks to a commercial circuit mainly East oriented through the NorthEast Adriatic Region, thank to a well developed waterways network connected to the River Adige and a road system based on the via Claudia augusta. This contribution presents a synthesis of the more recent data on the presence of Roman and late antique amphorae in urban and rural contexts and their meaning for the regional economy.
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Since 1998 the Museo Civico di Rovereto-Archaeological Department has been carrying out excavation campaigns at the site of Loppio - S. Andrea, in the Regione Trentino in Northern Italy. The unearthed masonry structures in the dig areas... more
Since 1998 the Museo Civico di Rovereto-Archaeological Department has been carrying out excavation campaigns at the site of Loppio - S. Andrea, in the Regione Trentino in Northern Italy. The unearthed masonry structures in the dig areas named A and B are parts of a late antique-early medieval fortified settlement (castrum), characterized by a sequence of different building phases. Many finds belonging to weaponry and soldiers equipment suggest that this site, strategically located along the ancient route going from the Adige Valley to the North Garda Lake, was settled for military reasons and housed soldiers with their families. Based on the finds studied so far, the settlement can date back to at least the first half of the 6th century AD. It seems possible to identify an Ostrogothic-Byzantine phase, followed by a Lombard phase; a Carolingian presence is also documented in the site. A total amount of 90 coins has been found, mainly consisting of late Roman bronze specimens which served as local loose change currency; Gothic and Byzantine coins in silver and gold are also well attested, offering a very representative view of integration of old 4th-5th centuries issues in the three-metallic 6th century monetary system, as well of their re-use within the Lombard society.
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The author presents a set of wall fresco and stucco fragments unearthed during the archaeological excavations carried out in the years 1990-1995 by Andrea Carandini in the area of the domus Publica on the Palatine Hill in Rome. They come... more
The author presents a set of wall fresco and stucco fragments unearthed during the archaeological excavations carried out in the years 1990-1995 by Andrea Carandini in the area of the domus Publica on the Palatine Hill in Rome. They come from dump layers that have been deposited in order to obliterate demolished structures and raise the floor levels of the site. Most of them have a monochrome surface that is not useful for classification, but the analysis of the technique features and the ornamental repertoire of the decorated ones allowed the identification of different stylistic periods. In particular, a small amount of fragments can be assigned to the first Pompeian style, while the most of them have been divided into different units attributable to various phases of the second style. Very significant in the chronology of the context is the presence of fragments that can be ascribed to the transition phase from the second to the third Pompeian style (20-10 B.C.). There are also three different types of stucco mouldings. Key-words: Rome, Palatin Hill, fresco wall paintings, stucco mouldings, first style, second style, transition phase.
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This article is part of the publication of the Archaeological excavation of the Roman Villa of Isera in the River Adige Valley, conducted by the Civic Museum of Rovereto in collaboration with the University of Trento. Architectural... more
This article is part of the publication of the Archaeological excavation of the Roman Villa of Isera in the River Adige Valley, conducted by the Civic Museum of Rovereto in collaboration with the University of Trento.
Architectural features, articulation of the building, chronology and contextualization in the territory are taken into consideration here.
Architectural features, articulation of the building, chronology and contextualization in the territory are taken into consideration here.
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This paper is part of the publication of the Archaeological excavation of the Roman Villa of Isera in the River Adige Valley (North Italy). The research has been conducted by the Civic Museum of Rovereto in collaboration with the... more
This paper is part of the publication of the Archaeological excavation of the Roman Villa of Isera in the River Adige Valley (North Italy). The research has been conducted by the Civic Museum of Rovereto in collaboration with the University of Trento.
Architectural articulation, spatial analysis, chronology of the building and interpretation of the finds are taken into consideration here.
Architectural articulation, spatial analysis, chronology of the building and interpretation of the finds are taken into consideration here.
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This article is part of the publication of the archaeological excavation of the Roman Villa of Isera in the River Adige Valley (North Italy). The research has been conducted by the Civic Museum of Rovereto in collaboration with the... more
This article is part of the publication of the archaeological excavation of the Roman Villa of Isera in the River Adige Valley (North Italy). The research has been conducted by the Civic Museum of Rovereto in collaboration with the University of Trento.
Metal small finds are considered here.
Metal small finds are considered here.
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This article is part of the publication of the archaeological excavation of the Roman Villa of Isera in the River Adige Valley (North Italy). The research has been conducted by the Civic Museum of Rovereto in collaboration with the... more
This article is part of the publication of the archaeological excavation of the Roman Villa of Isera in the River Adige Valley (North Italy). The research has been conducted by the Civic Museum of Rovereto in collaboration with the University of Trento.
Amphorae and their meaning for the economy of the Roman Villa are considered here.
Amphorae and their meaning for the economy of the Roman Villa are considered here.
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The archaeological research of the last twenty years in the Trentino – South Tyrol Region (North Italy) has revealed significant data on the importation of food products in amphorae during the Roman Age and the Middle Ages. This paper... more
The archaeological research of the last twenty years in the Trentino – South Tyrol Region (North Italy) has revealed significant data on the importation of food products in amphorae during the Roman Age and the Middle Ages. This paper presents an update of the archaeological evidence of the import of wine, oil and other foodstuffs in the Region.
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The paper presents an assemblage of painted plaster and stucco fragments that have been unearthed in the early Nineties of last century in the site of Privernum during the archaeological excavation conducted in the domus of the Figured... more
The paper presents an assemblage of painted plaster and stucco fragments that have been unearthed in the early Nineties of last century in the site of Privernum during the archaeological excavation conducted in the domus of the Figured Emblem and, to a lesser extent, in the adjacent domus of the White Floor. These are two luxurious aristocratic houses that were built between the end of the second century and the early first century BC in the northern part of the ancient city and were abandoned during the second century AD after they underwent a series of building interventions. With the exception of a fragment of fresco preserved in situ in one of the rooms of the domus of the Figured Emblem, the walls of the houses did not preserve the original plaster, perhaps intentionally dismantled in ancient times. The excavated fragments originate mostly from artificial layers thrown outdoors in order to raise the floor level. Most of the studied material can be related to a mature (“post-pompeian”) phase of the Fourth Style, that probably goes back to a time comprised between the Flavian and the Antonine period, while only some sporadic examples are attributable to the Second or the Third Style. In addition to the wall plaster, the excavation in the Domus of the Figured Emblem has brought to light the remains of a small building site. It seems to be related to a painter’s workshop engaged in the reconstruction or restoration of the wall paintings during one of the restoriations which took place during the early imperial period in the rooms of the domus. Key-words: Priverno, domus, fresco wall paintings, stucco moulding, painter’s workshop, ancient pigments.
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This paper is part of the publication of the archaeological excavation of the Roman Villa of Poggio Gramignano (Italy), conducted by David Soren (University of Arizona). Roman wall paintings and stucco work of the villa are taken into... more
This paper is part of the publication of the archaeological excavation of the Roman Villa of Poggio Gramignano (Italy), conducted by David Soren (University of Arizona). Roman wall paintings and stucco work of the villa are taken into consideration here.
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This paper presents the study of a set of Roman wall-painting and stucco fragments belonging to the Gorga Collection in the Roman National Museum (Rome).
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This paper is part of the exhibition catalogue concerning the artchaeologists Paolo Orsi, Federico Halbherr and Giuseppe Gerola and the Mediterranean Archeology between the end of the 19th an the beginning of the 20th centuries. The... more
This paper is part of the exhibition catalogue concerning the artchaeologists Paolo Orsi, Federico Halbherr and Giuseppe Gerola and the Mediterranean Archeology between the end of the 19th an the beginning of the 20th centuries. The period of the youth of Paolo Orsi has been taken into consideration here.
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In the years 1994-1999 the University of Trento in conjunction with the Institut National du Patrimoine from Tunisi has led a systematic survey in the countryside of Dougga (Tunisia). Among the collected pottery sherds, an amphora type... more
In the years 1994-1999 the University of Trento in conjunction with the Institut National du Patrimoine from Tunisi has led a systematic survey in the countryside of Dougga (Tunisia). Among the collected pottery sherds, an amphora type scarcely attested in North-Africa has been detected. It must be related to local production and regional commercial circuits. This is a large-sized cylindrical amphora, characterized by an everted rim. In the site of Aïn Meska it has been found together with an “amphore de tradition punique du golfe d'Hammamet”. By now it can be compared to an incomplete amphora found during the dig of the Sidi Jdidi South Basilica, in a context dated from the second half of the fifth century A.D. That is why it has been named "Sidi Jdidi 14.9 type". The abundant presence of this amphora type in the countryside of Dougga suggests its production in the Dougga territory or in a neighbouring region.
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Considerations about the latest African amphora productions The data at our disposal at the beginning of the Nineties of the last century identified an irreversible stagnation during the first decennia of the seventh century in the... more
Considerations about the latest African amphora productions
The data at our disposal at the beginning of the Nineties of the last century identified an irreversible stagnation during the first decennia of the seventh century in the amount of exportation of African commodities. In the last fifteen years, progress in the pottery an African amphorae studies and the intensification of artifact recording in their production centres and in their markets of destination, have allowed a clearer and different picture. The decline of the African ceramic and crop productions today does not seem anymore precocious nor the exportation stop so abrupt as before; on the contrary, it appears that the African economy had moments of relative vivacity until the start of the eighth century.
The data at our disposal at the beginning of the Nineties of the last century identified an irreversible stagnation during the first decennia of the seventh century in the amount of exportation of African commodities. In the last fifteen years, progress in the pottery an African amphorae studies and the intensification of artifact recording in their production centres and in their markets of destination, have allowed a clearer and different picture. The decline of the African ceramic and crop productions today does not seem anymore precocious nor the exportation stop so abrupt as before; on the contrary, it appears that the African economy had moments of relative vivacity until the start of the eighth century.
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This contribution reviews the Roman amphorae unearthed during the archaeological excavations in the mansio Littamum. The material was highly fragmented and poorly preserved, but in several cases the forms of vessels have been identified.... more
This contribution reviews the Roman amphorae unearthed during the archaeological excavations in the mansio Littamum. The material was highly fragmented and poorly preserved, but in several cases the forms of vessels have been identified. This made it possible to trace the network of trade links around Littamum in the Roman period.
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The subject of the contribution is the presence of a Roman Imperial "statio" at the site of Ponte Gardena (Bozen, Italy). This had to be an important trade hub, as evidenced by the archaeological finds brought to light by excavations in... more
The subject of the contribution is the presence of a Roman Imperial "statio" at the site of Ponte Gardena (Bozen, Italy). This had to be an important trade hub, as evidenced by the archaeological finds brought to light by excavations in 1927, 1982 and 2003-2007. In particular, the presence of a "mansio" seems supported by four epigraphic documents found in the Ponte Gardena area by the Bavarian humanist Aventinus in the 16th century.
This paper is part of the publication of the Archaeological excavation of the Roman Villa of Isera in the River Adige Valley (North Italy). The research has been conducted by the Civic Museum of Rovereto in collaboration with the... more
This paper is part of the publication of the Archaeological excavation of the Roman Villa of Isera in the River Adige Valley (North Italy). The research has been conducted by the Civic Museum of Rovereto in collaboration with the University of Trento.
Roman wall-painting fragments with third-style decoration are taken into consideration here.
Roman wall-painting fragments with third-style decoration are taken into consideration here.
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This paper describes the discoveries and the results of the archaeological excavations carried out over time in the current Ponte gardena/Waidbruck. The findings are contextualized to reach an historical reconstruction of the ancient... more
This paper describes the discoveries and the results of the archaeological excavations carried out over time in the current Ponte gardena/Waidbruck. The findings are contextualized to reach an historical reconstruction of the ancient landscape and the role of the site in the road netword and in the economy of the Roman Empire.
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This paper presents the results of the archaeological and archaeometric study of a little amount of roman amphorae fragments coming from the excavation of a rural settlement in the site of Villanders in Südtirol. Some samples have been... more
This paper presents the results of the archaeological and archaeometric study of a little amount of roman amphorae fragments coming from the excavation of a rural settlement in the site of Villanders in Südtirol. Some samples have been studied in thin section to give a compositional and technical characterisation of the pastes, contribute to identify the provenance areas (also using the reference database of the DISTAV) and, as for pottery sherds lacking diagnostic features, verify or improve the typological attributions
These finds indicate the import in the site, albeit sporadically, of foodstuffs coming from the Adriatic and Aegean regions.
These finds indicate the import in the site, albeit sporadically, of foodstuffs coming from the Adriatic and Aegean regions.
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During the archaeological digs lead by the Museo Civico di Rovereto on St. Andrea Isle (Loppio, TN) in 2005, a spur and a sword-belt mount were unearthed. They represent familiar typologies in northern and eastern Europe during the... more
During the archaeological digs lead by the Museo Civico di Rovereto on St. Andrea Isle (Loppio, TN) in 2005, a spur and a sword-belt mount were unearthed. They represent familiar typologies in northern and eastern Europe during the Carolingian period and are probably copies of North European prototypes. Even if sporadic, these finds are evidence of a human presence in the site in the IX-X centuries.
Spurs, Mount, Sword-belt
Spurs, Mount, Sword-belt
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This book is the edition of the archaeological excavation conductd by the Civic Museum of Rovereto in collaboration with the University of Trento in the site of the Isera Roman Villa (northern Italy). This is today the only example of... more
This book is the edition of the archaeological excavation conductd by the Civic Museum of Rovereto in collaboration with the University of Trento in the site of the Isera Roman Villa (northern Italy). This is today the only example of "urban-rustic villa" unearthed in the Adige valley in the province of Trento. It was brought to light by the end of the 1940s, during the construction work for a kindergarten. The villa is preserved only in relation to a small portion of the surface (about 330 square meters). Heavyly damaged at the time of discovery, the structure was subsequently archaeologically investigated, on the initiative of Adriano Rigotti and with the support of the Civic Museum of Rovereto, through a series of excavation campaigns between the beginning of the seventies of the twentieth century and 2004. The stratigraphic analysis, the finds and the results of the research are presented.
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The paper summarizes the results of the analysis of amphorae samples found in the excavations of the fortified settlement of Loppio - S. Andrea in southern Trentino, a geographical area where so far no such attestations were found. The... more
The paper summarizes the results of the analysis of amphorae samples found in the excavations of the fortified settlement of Loppio - S. Andrea in southern Trentino, a geographical area where so far no such attestations were found. The campaigns carried out in the years 2000-2004 revealed the presence on the site of imports of amphorae food from North Africa (spatheia) and especially from the Eastern Mediterranean (Late Roman Amphora 1-4, Samos Cistern type). That means the settlement had to be supplied by the state administration, due to the high strategic interest that it had in the dynamics of the control of the territory located between the Valle del ' South Adige and Northern Lake Garda.
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This contribution presents the results of the archaeological excavations carried out in 1981-1985 by the Ufficio Beni Archeologici di Bolzano (Italy) in the Roman settlement of Sebatum, located in the southern part of the transalpine... more
This contribution presents the results of the archaeological excavations carried out in 1981-1985 by the Ufficio Beni Archeologici di Bolzano (Italy) in the Roman settlement of Sebatum, located in the southern part of the transalpine province of Noricum, along the road near to the river Rienz, which in Roman times became an important communication route between the Regio X and the provinces of Noricum and Raetia.
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The article presents a first synthesis of the archaeologic and archeometric study of the late Roman amphorae found in the excavations of the fortified settlement of Loppio - S. Andrea (southern Trentino, Italy). Here the excavation... more
The article presents a first synthesis of the archaeologic and archeometric study of the late Roman amphorae found in the excavations of the fortified settlement of Loppio - S. Andrea (southern Trentino, Italy). Here the excavation campaigns carried out between 2000 and 2004 revealed the presence of import containers from North Africa and especially from the Eastern Mediterranean. This evidence indicates that the settlement had to be supplied through circuits run by the state administration, due to the high strategic interest in the dynamics of the control of the territory located between the Valle del ' South Adige and Northern Lake Garda.
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The site of St. Andrea, situated in the basin of Lake Loppio that was drained in 1956, fifteen centuries ago was the seat of a fortified settlement. After sporadic discoveries that started way back in the 19th century, in 1998 the... more
The site of St. Andrea, situated in the basin of Lake Loppio that was drained in 1956, fifteen centuries ago was the seat of a fortified settlement. After sporadic discoveries that started way back in the 19th century, in 1998 the Archeaology Section of the Rovereto Civic Museum began a research and study project on the site, which involved a series of summer excavation campaigns. The archaeological investigations, that still continue today, have brought to light a multi-layered archeological site with finds ranging from the prehistoric age to late antiquity, medieval times and right through to even the First World War. This book is dedicated to the results of the research concerning the 5th-7th century castrum, starting with the 1998 sample and ending with the 2014 excavation. The first part, consisting of a general contextualization of the site, is followed by a part dedicated to the periodization and the stratigraphic analysis of the excavated area, and then by a large section comprising the contributions about the small findings; the fourth part, eventually, collects some brief final considerations.