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Excavation

  • Aquinum
  • S. Pietro Vetere
  • Aquinum
  • Italy
  • Lazio
  • Province of Frosinone
  • Castrocielo

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Credits

  • The Italian Database is the result of a collaboration between:

    MIBAC (Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali - Direzione Generale per i Beni Archeologici),

    ICCD (Istituto Centrale per il Catalogo e la Documentazione) and

    AIAC (Associazione Internazionale di Archeologia Classica).

  • AIAC_logo logo

Summary (English)

  • Work took place in the south and west of the central rooms of the baths, which identified new heated rooms. The largest was a caldarium bordered by two pools, one semicircular with terracotta tubuli still in situ.

    The excavations in the east sector of the baths were extended, where the mosaic floor of the frigidarium was uncovered, with a tabula ansata and inscription. The mosaic had a motif of black flowers on a white background inside a double band of black slate tesserae. At the centre was a square emblema bordered by a double band of black tesserae, in the middle a motif of black hexagons on a white background. Two rectangular pools, with benches in opus mixtum, plaster facing and make up for small marble tiles, were excavated to the north and south of the large room.

    Investigation of the east-west decumanus bordering the northern edge of the bath complex continued, uncovering an overall length of about 38 m. The road surface was preserved except for a few patches that were cut by robber trenches. The paving was covered by beaten surfaces from which pottery fragments, coins, nails and bronze plaquettes were recovered. These materials dated the phases of the road’s use to between the first half of the 3rd and the beginning of the 4th century A.D.

    Four rooms were uncovered along the north-west edge of the excavation area: from the east, the first room was Room M, probably a service corridor, with parts of its floor of bipedales preserved. A marble threshold marked the passage to the west between this and a large rectangular room, its walls faced with red plaster. The floor was a white mosaic with a border of slate tesserae.

    The next room had a white mosaic floor with limestone concretions on its surface and has been identified as a natatio. The pool was bordered by opus latericium walls, lined with plaster, and faced with marble slabs. The layers of collapse contained numerous coloured glass paste tesserae that probably decorated the ceiling. A tomb built of reused local travertine blocks was found abutting the pool’s west wall. It contained the remains of at least three individuals.

    The final room was identified as a latrine. The channel for clean water, built of limestone blocks, was preserved on all four sides. At the centre of the western side was a basin for ablutions. The marble bench tops were found inside the wastewater drain. The floor was paved with a figured mosaic made with black and white tesserae. The mosaic showed a Nilotic scene within a slate border. Inside a boat, a couple are shown in an intimate embrace, two pygmies standing on either side, the first piloting the boat, the other hunting. To the right of the central decoration are a crocodile and bird, above to the left, a second bird, while below there was probably another animal.

  • Agnese Ugolini - Università del Salento, Dipartimento di Beni Culturali, Laboratorio di Topografia Antica e Fotogrammetria (LabTAF) 

Director

  • Giuseppe Ceraudo - Università del Salento, Dipartimento di Beni Culturali, Laboratorio di Topografia Antica e Fotogrammetria (LabTAF)

Team

  • Alessandra Albiero - Università del Salento, Dipartimento di Beni Culturali, Laboratorio di Topografia Antica e Fotogrammetria (LabTAF)
  • Chiara Fernandez - Università del Salento, Dipartimento di Beni Culturali, Laboratorio di Topografia Antica e Fotogrammetria (LabTAF)
  • Rosa Torre - Università del Salento, Dipartimento di Beni Culturali, Laboratorio di Topografia Antica e Fotogrammetria (LabTAF)
  • Valentina Petrucci - Università del Salento, Dipartimento di Beni Culturali, Laboratorio di Topografia Antica e Fotogrammetria (LabTAF)
  • Valentino Vitale - Università del Salento
  • Dottorandi e Specializzandi - Università del Salento, Facoltà di Beni Culturali, Scuola di Specializzazione in Archeologia

Research Body

  • Università del Salento, Dipartimento di Beni Culturali, Laboratorio di Topografia Antica e Fotogrammetria (LabTAF)

Funding Body

  • Comune di Castrocielo

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