Trench A

Trench B

Trench C

Arch near Trench D

Trench E

from Blue Guide 2001

back to dig site

INTERIM PROGRESS REPORT

Trench A

Trench A lies between the Oratory of the Forty Martyrs to the east, the Lacus Iuturnae to the north, and the great Domitianic aula complex to the south and the Temple of Castor and Pollux to the west. Giacomo Boni exposed part of this area in 1900, but only an enigmatic plan of some walls and a few photographs document his work here. Our purpose is to clarify the nature and construction sequence of a series of walls and pavements here together with their relationships to the surrounding structures. In so doing, we hope better to understand the changing uses of this space in the Roman imperial, late antique, and medieval periods.
Excavations have exposed parts of three N-S walls in brick-faced concrete and two different tile surfaces. A curving drain enters the excavation area from the east; a feature at the SE corner of the trench may prove to be a medieval tomb. Already it is clear that the “piers” depicted on Boni’s 1901 plan, often interpreted as part of a portico in front of the Oratory of the Forty Martyrs, are in fact two parts of a single wall that was cut through in a later period.

Trenches B and C

Trenches B and C lie within the portico along the north side of the Domitianic aula, or “Domus Gai”. Our purpose here is to explore the relationships between the Domitianic layers and earlier activity in this area, as well as later transformations of this portico. These questions are also important for the study of fragment 18a of the Severan Marble Plan. Since the features depicted on this fragment do not seem to correspond well to the known topography there, it has been suggested that fragment 18a belongs to an earlier Plan.
In this area, excavations have exposed a pre-Domitianic concrete foundation or platform along the alignment of parts of Caligula’s palace, and the massive concrete foundation of the Domitianic building. At least two phases of later partition walls within the portico have been identified, indicating the transformation of the portico into a series of rooms, perhaps shops.

Trench D

To the west of the Vicus Tuscus and south of the Basilica Julia stand two brick-faced concrete piers that once supported an arch. The piers were originally clad in marble, and may have formed a monumental entrance to the Vicus Unguentarius (Street of the Perfume Sellers) that ran along the south side of the Basilica Julia. Trench D is a small sondage against the southern pier, with the aim of recovering evidence to date the structure. Architectural studies and drawings are being made of the structure, including the recording of later alterations and transformations such as the insertion of a mezzanine floor within the arch, perhaps relating to its late use as a shop or dwelling.

Trench E

Trench E is intended to investigate shops and structures fronting the Vicus Tuscus, and also the north-west corner of the Horrea Agrippiana (Agrippa’s Warehouses). Our purpose in this area is to explore changes in the commercial infrastructure and use of space between the Roman and early medieval periods, and this area was chosen because there was a high probability of encountering intact stratigraphy from those periods. Excavations here are exposing early medieval strata including standing walls, and abandonment levels over the street-front buildings and within the Horrea Agrippiana.

The American Institute for Roman Culture, Inc.