Rome, a new educational archaeological dig open to the public along the Appian Way

The ECeC(Cultural Heritage and Community) laboratory of theUniversity of Ferrara is inaugurating a new archaeological project in Rome, at 39 Via Appia Antica, in the area of the so-called Sepulchre of Geta. The project includes an educational archaeological excavation, dedicated to students of the University of Ferrara but also open to the public, as part of a larger program of urban regeneration, directed by Professor Rachele Dubbini, chair of Classical Archaeology at the University of Ferrara. The excavation activities, funded by the Patrum Lumen Sustine - PLuS Stiftung foundation and Associazione L’Italia Fenice, are directed by archaeologist Fabio Turchetta, of the ARCHEO company.

The site is located just outside the Aurelian Walls, where the Via Appia Antica crosses the Almone. The excavation campaign is taking place in an area hitherto never archaeologically investig ated in order to field study the boundary landscapes, sacred and funerary, in the space where the Sanctuary of Mars Gradivo must have stood. “The archaeology laboratory,” explains Rachele Dubbini, “investigates the cultural landscape of the Appian Way over time, in a critical place with strong contradictions between public and private interests, and is based on the principles of public archaeology: educational and research activities are carried out in synergy with institutions and citizenship under the banner of participatory archaeology.” The area where the excavation is located, owned by the City of Rome, was in fact illegally occupied by private individuals for years and is finally being returned to the community through the activities of the EceC laboratory.

At the center of the lab is the community, which is why the excavation will be open to the public. “The concept of Cultural Legacy,” points out doctoral student Elena Maria CautiÅŸ,“is at the heart of this project, because it puts communities at the center with respect to their own cultural heritage, encompassing both tangible and intangible assets, from the microhistory of the archaeological site to the evolution of the cultural landscape over the centuries.” Adds colleague Matteo Lombardi: “in antiquity as today, the first stretch of the Appian Way represented a critical, boundary space between the urban periphery and the countryside of luxury residences. This is why it is the ideal case study in which to test innovative methodological approaches to reconnect value to the archaeological heritage and create a new model of sustainable management.” In this perspective, the involvement of the public is a cardinal principle of this initiative: the excavation area is already open to visitors thanks to guided tours curated by Chiara Maria Marchetti, archaeologist of the associations Ambrosia and Antica Via Latina aps: "Through the guided tours we put visitors in touch with the archaeological context, explaining it to the non-expert and conveying scientific themes in a clear and understandable way to everyone. The last stage of the tour itinerary is, in fact, also the reason why PASS tours. Landscapes and Passages at the 2nd Mile of the Appian Way came into being: to raise awareness of the open excavation at No. 39 Via Appia Antica."

The meeting with communities also takes place under the banner of economic and environmental sustainability, another key pillar of the ECeC project. In fact, the inhabitants of the area where the archaeological site is located have provided salvaged furniture to help set up the excavation site, encouraging recycling and the use of natural materials.

Another crucial aspect of ECeC isinterdisciplinarity, with a combination within the various archaeological activities of archaeology, anthropology, geophysics, architecture, sociology and communication sciences. In this regard, in July ECeC launched a call for artists and architects in order to include new professionals in the project who could help us enhance the cultural potential of this place. Athina Koumparouli, a Greek artist and restorer who won the call for artists, proposed “a bridging project between archaeology and art, with a multidimensional approach and a focus on material culture,” and says, “I am closely following the work of archaeologists, and through contemporary, discarded objects, I intend to narrate the methodological processes of archaeology and imagine an archaeology of the future.” Architect Francesco K.B. Simi, winner of the call for architects, built his project on the relationship between archaeology and architecture, which “can contribute to a mediation between cultural heritage and contemporary society.” In line with this principle, he conceived and implemented a site layout aimed at opening the operational reality of the excavation to citizen visits. “The project is the result of a synthesis between: compliance with safety requirements-through a continuous dialogue with the safety officer-aimed at finding alternative solutions to the usual image of the construction site and an attention to the spirit of the places, using compatible and reused materials.”

The goal was to combine the operational needs specific to an ongoing excavation with those of an immersive, “excavation-side” tour. This layout project is complemented by landscape research aimed at contextualizing the excavation area with respect to a larger scale, particularly by analyzing its mythological dimension. The project also has a strong international component: in addition to the Greek artist Koumparouli, students from the University of Ferrara come from Italy, Romania, Russia and Spain.

In order to achieve the goal of uniting archaeology, territory and citizens, a team has been created to make the public aware of the workshop’s activities on a daily basis, according to the latest communication techniques. “Many of the people who experience these places,” explains Francesco Massimi, marketing director and archaeologist in charge of communication, “are not aware of their cultural heritage: when this happens, we are failing as archaeologists. Thanks to the latest tools made available by new technologies such as AI, IoT, Big Data. etc., we can now think about valorization 2.0 to reach and involve a wider audience.”

Thus, a valorization understood not as a simple communication activity but as a central goal to achieve a fruition of cultural heritage based on the principles of environmental, economic and social sustainability. As a result of the communication activities, the staging project and the organization of dedicated tours, the excavation site is already open to the public. Guided tours are held every Saturday starting at 10:30 am. To find out more and make reservations, just send a message on Whatsapp to 379 2870121 or email micalasolitaroma@gmail.com. Another opportunity to learn about our activities are the open days at the excavation site. Every Thursday, from 10:15 to 11:15 a.m., it will be possible to visit it, accompanied by the project leaders.

Rome, a new educational archaeological dig open to the public along the Appian Way

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