Inscriptions from the "Excavation of the sewage system" in Aquileia (1968–1972)
Research
Inscriptions from the "Excavation of the sewage system" in Aquileia (1968–1972)
Scientific Director: Dr. Stefano Magnani
The project concerns the imposing quantity of materials recovered during the excavations for the construction of the modern sewage system in Aquileia, that have remained unpublished for more than forty years. It involves the study of the different classes of inscribed materials, documents and types of inscriptions (on stone; labels, stamps and graffiti on black-gazed pottery and sealed earth; production and control stamps on fistulae aquariae; stamps and graphemes on bricks and tiles; punching marks, graffiti, graphemes on other materials), the examination of the whole documentation regarding the excavation activities and the recovery of the materials (registers and excavation journals, drawings, blueprints and maps, photos), their cataloguing and, finally, the scientific publication of the results.
The project is a collaboration with the Società Friulana di Archeologia. The objectives are the contextualisation of the findings (in order to obtain a better understanding of the topography of the city) and the analysis of their significance from different points of view (historically, economically, socially), not only in relation to the northern adriatic site, but also to the wider regional context. The written documentation offers indeed useful information for reconstructing the production base within the city, for redefining the commercial networks of Aquileia and for better documenting various aspects of the social and politic life of the city, from its foundation to the Early Middle Ages.