The ´Case a Giardino´ in Ostia - archaeological context and virtual archaeology

The large housing complex of the so-called case a Giardino in Ostia, the harbor of Rome, is one of the most significant examples for the building activity of Emperor Hadrian and of Roman housing architecture in general: the urban housing district surrounding an open courtyard was erected following an overall master plan and offered in its center a number of luxurious apartments (the so-called medianum houses) with identical floor plans and surface areas. Although the complex has been excavated in the 1st half of the 20th century and interpreted in various studies on Roman domestic architecture, a systematical and archaeological documentation and a complete study of its furnishings (paintings, mosaics) and remains (e.g. graffiti), serving as a basis for all further interpretations, is surprisingly still missing. This is therefore the major aim of the proposed project the case a Giardino in Ostia archaeological context and virtual archaeology of a large Roman housing complex: to create a new scientific access to the monument based on the combination of traditional archaeological analysis and newest high-tech systems for 3D-documentation and virtual reconstructions. The studies will focus on the architecture and architectural lay-out as well as on the pictorial decorations, floors and on the graffiti of the rooms. The case a Giardino will be analysed in all their phases of planning, erection and usage from the early 2nd century AD until their final destruction in the 4th century AD. The various studies undertaken for this extraordinary housing complex will give new insights to answer better all aspects, from architectural and technical to art-historical and sociological ones, and to renew on base of the virtual reconstruction of one ideal medianum block generally our reflections on Roman city life and culture and its planning and realization. While the archaeological fieldwork e.g. for the study of the wall paintings with the description and classification of the architectural framework or the study of the graffiti in the rooms, follow a traditional scheme, the new technologies are used for very fast and precise 3D- and photogrammetric documentation, mapping and for geophysical prospection. Working tools, such as a 3D laser scanner, drones and ground penetrating radar or different innovative software applications for post-processing, will not replace the well-established traditional methods, but will speed up, enlarge and increase the potential of the different ways of analyzing and understanding. An international Team of the Institute for the Study of Ancient Culture at the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna (guided by Peter Ruggendorfer) will realize the project in close cooperation with the Sapienza University of Rome, the DAI Rome and the ÖHI Rome.

The case a Giardino in Ostia archaeological context and virtual archaeology of a large Roman housing complex (FWF P31 438-G25) The Case a Giardino were built under Emperor Hadrian in the southwestern quarter of Ostia near the former coastline. Italian archaeologists uncovered the large complex already in the first half of the 20th century, but the numerous residential and workshop buildings grouped around an open courtyard had so far not been fully investigated. The aim of the project was therefore the comprehensive digital documentation and analysis, the virtual 3D reconstruction and the publication of the complex. In broad cooperation with international research institutions (e. g. Columbia University and Pratt Institute/New York, TU Aachen and Darmstadt, La Sapienza University in Rome), besides a conventional archaeological approach non-destructive natural scientific and technical methods, such as laser scanning, SfM (Structure from Motion), geophysica l prospections, archaeometric analysis and electron microscopy were used. The studies focused on the architectural design of the entire complex, on the spatial distribution of dwellings and tabernae, on the furnishing of the housing units (wall paintings and mosaics), on the chronology of the building and on the social background of the residents. The geophysical investigations in the courtyard documented older, large-scale structures, whose orientation, in contrast to the Case a Giardino, was aligned along the Decumanus, the main road passing in the east. The intensive analysis of the walls in situ and of the construction technique lead to the identification of the original intended design of the Case a Giardino. This was characterized by a larger contingent of workshops which was changed in favour of a clear predominance of living space. The complex was in use for about 200 years. During this period, several structural adaptations were made, like the installation of additional pillars in the Units 10 -12 and 22, which became necessary due to static problems. The wall paintings could be differed into four decoration phases. As documented by archaeometric measurements, even in the fourth phase at the beginning of the 4th cent. AD materials of high quality, like purple, which was not prevalent in Ostia at this time, had been used. A massive structural transformation occurred probably in the 2nd half of the 4th cent. AD. Unit 1 at the SE-corner was transformed to make place for a late antique dwelling (Domus dei Dioscuri). Also Units 4 and 5 at the SW-corner were radically reorganized and enlarged, evident through some structures that had been detected in the unexcavated area in the south of the complex. The study of the graffiti evokes a short -term residence of inhabitants with a multi-ethnic background as well as a specific ambience, which was connected with the world of trade and sea.