Giovanni Caratelli | Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) (original) (raw)

Papers by Giovanni Caratelli

in Thiasos. Rivista di archeologia e architettura antica, 13 (2024), pp. 161-178

Despite the rich graphical and iconographic documentation produced over many centuries of surveys... more Despite the rich graphical and iconographic documentation produced over many centuries of surveys and excellent visits, the Doric temple, known as that of Hercules, on the acropolis of ancient Cora (modern-day Cori) still represents one of the least investigated and least known archaeological contexts of the Latin city. The dedication to Hercules itself, now conventional and generally accepted, although sometimes questioned, is actually an open archaeological issue. In fact, although this denomination appears in documentary sources as early as the mid sixteenth century, the only argument in its support would be a doubtful epigraphic find, which occurred in the first half of the eighteenth century. In this paper, the author, based on a recent documentary survey carried out at the Central State Archive, presents two documents (one of which is signed by Rodolfo Lanciani), which remained curiously unpublished, attesting to the discovery near the temple of a bronze statuette of Hercules. This circumstance, together with a careful examination of all known archaeological documentation, finally allows us to re-establish on new and more solid bases the question of the identification of the guardian deity of the famous Doric temple.

Nonostante la ricca documentazione grafica e iconografica prodotta in tanti secoli di rilevamenti e visite eccellenti, il tempio dorico, detto di Ercole, sull’acropoli dell’antica Cora (odierna Cori) ancora rappresenta uno dei contesti archeologici meno indagati e meno noti della città latina. La stessa dedica ad Ercole, ormai convenzionale e generalmente accettata, anche se talvolta è stata messa in discussione, è in realtà un problema archeologico aperto. Infatti, anche se tale denominazione compare già nelle fonti documentarie verso la metà del Cinquecento, l’unico argomento a suo sostegno sarebbe un dubbio rinvenimento epigrafico, avvenuto nella prima metà del Settecento. In questo articolo, l’autore, basandosi su una recente ricognizione documentale, eseguita presso l’Archivio Centrale dello Stato, presenta due documenti (di cui uno a firma di Rodolfo Lanciani), rimasti curiosamente inediti, che attestano il ritrovamento di un bronzetto di Ercole nei pressi del tempio. Tale circostanza, unitamente ad un’attenta disamina di tutta la documentazione archeologica nota, consente finalmente di reimpostare su nuove e più solide basi la questione dell’identificazione del nume tutelare del celebre tempietto dorico.

in Acta IMEKO, 13, 2 (2024), pp. 1-9

The CNR, within the “Masgaba” project, contributes to the archaeological mapping of Capri. This i... more The CNR, within the “Masgaba” project, contributes to the archaeological mapping of Capri. This initiative involves survey activities, historical-architectural studies, and the creation of detailed graphic documentation integrated into a Geographic Information System (GIS). Surveys employ advanced technologies, such as laser scanning and photogrammetry. The resultant 3D models contribute to site documentation and analysis. This study advocates the use of a methodological approach reliant on precise measurements and thorough planimetric surveys achieved through instrumental techniques to investigate and comprehend archaeological remnants with a high degree of certainty. By combining this with careful examination of walls and construction techniques, historical phases and space functions can be defined. The examination of three archaeological sites in Capri, Grotta dell’Arsenale, Villa of Gradola, and Villa of Damecuta, exemplifies this approach.

in 2023 IMEKO International Conference on Metrology for Archaeology and Cultural Heritage (Roma 19-21 ottobre 2023) pp. 796-801, 2023

The project "Masgaba. An Archaeological Map for the Island of Capri" aims to create the first arc... more The project "Masgaba. An Archaeological Map for the Island of Capri" aims to create the first archaeological GIS of the island of Capri. The main objective is to gain a deeper understanding of the archaeological assets of the island, including their original functions and dimensions, to facilitate their preservation, enhancement, and contribute to territorial planning. The project involves mapping and studying the known sites, conducting field surveys, and utilizing advanced techniques like photogrammetry and laser scanning. This type of survey allows for the application of a metrological approach with a certain level of confidence, which has yielded unexpected results in the Grotta dell'Arsenale and the Gradola and Damecuta villas, especially in terms of planimetry and constructional aspects.

in L. Di Franco, R. Perrella (a cura di), Le grotte tra Preistoria, età classica e Medioevo. Capri, la Campania, il Mediterraneo. Atti del Convegno Internazionale di Studi (Capri-Anacapri, 7-9 ottobre 2021), Roma 2022, pp. 89-108

The Roman villa of Gradola, built on the north-western side of the island of Capri, despite being... more The Roman villa of Gradola, built on the north-western side of the island of Capri, despite being exactly above one of the most popular places of the world, the Blue Grotto, is certainly one of the lesser-known archaeological sites of the island. However, thanks to the activities undertaken within the project “Masgaba. An archaeological map for the island of Capri”, it was possible to “rediscover” a significant part of the villa’s remains and carry out a new archaeological survey using laser scanning and digital photogrammetry. The new survey has highlighted the planimetric features of the building (a basis villae), which is notable for a rare semicircular structure (a hemicycle with deep niches on the external side), situated in sea-view panoramic position along the steep coastal area. This paper, starting from the analysis of the surviving walls (built in opus incertum and reticulatum), attempts to identify or reconstruct the general scheme of the substructive structure with particular attention to the geometric genesis of the hemicycle and its articulations. Finally, a renewed comparison with others architectures is set up, and the particular “affinity” with the nearby Villa Damecuta, which seems to share, in terms of orientation and geometrical shape, a very similar design scheme, is pointed out.

in J. Bogdani, R. Montalbano, and P. Rosati (eds.), ArchaeoFOSS XIV 2020. Open software, hardware, processes, data and formats in archaeological research (Proceedings of the 14th International Conference: 15-17 October 2020), Oxford 2021, pp. 24-34

The excavations of the NE slopes of the Palatine Hill in Rome has been the subject of a long arch... more The excavations of the NE slopes of the Palatine Hill in Rome has been the subject of a long archaeological research. Under the direction of C. Panella, the remains of many architectures and buildings have been unearthed, part of an urban tissue made by a continuous stratigraphic overlapping. Within this framework, our research has been focused on 3D survey, building archaeology, WebGIS and data sharing, experiencing the migration of our data set, analogical and digital, into free and open-source products. This article takes into consideration not only technical aspects but also the possibility of renewing methods for collecting, managing and sharing archaeological information.

in C. Ciammaruconi, E. Di Meo, P. F. Pistilli (a cura di), Cori nel Medioevo. Memoria e sopravvivenze, Cori 2021(Quaderni dell'Archivio Storico, 5 - Quaderni del Museo della Città e del Territorio di Cori, 2), pp. 228-243

Questo lavoro è stato già presentato, ma in lingua inglese e senza note, negli atti della "2018 I... more Questo lavoro è stato già presentato, ma in lingua inglese e senza note, negli atti della "2018 IEEE International Conference on Metrology for Archaeology and Cultural Heritage" (Università degli Studi di Cassino e del Lazio meridionale, 22--24 ottobre 2018), dove peraltro è stato premiato, tra più di cento contributi, come best conference paper. In questa sede se ne presenta una nuova versione in lingua italiana, ampliata ed arricchita da un rinnovato apparato iconografico e bibliografico.

in R. Bosso, L. Di Franco, G. Di Martino, S. Foresta, R. Perrella (a cura di), Archeologie borboniche. La ricerca sull'antico a Capri e nelle province di Napoli e Terra di Lavoro. Convegno Internazionale di Studi (Capri-Anacapri, 11-12 ottobre 2019), Roma 2020, pp. 21-41

This paper presents the first results of a recently started research project, that originated fro... more This paper presents the first results of a recently started research project, that originated from a close cooperation among the Superintendence of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the Metropolitan Area of Naples, the Municipalities of Capri and Anacapri, the CNR Institute of Heritage Science (ISPC), and the Cultural Association Apragopolis. The project's aim is to redact the first archaeological cartography for the Island of Capri. The cartography should serve as a fundamental basis for all future actions on conservation, valorization, study, and territorial planning. At present, some of the initial steps of the project have been closely studied, including the collection of existing historical and archaeological cartographies, as well as the administrative documentation related to areas subject to restrictions for archaeological preservation. All this material has already been ingested into a Geographic Information System (GIS), and the system's conceptual model has been developed, including the software solutions to adopt for its implementation. The GIS will enable the archival and analysis of all collected information; in future developments, it will be extended and improved, following new archaeological surveys and investigations.

in Archeologia e Calcolatori 31.2 (2020), pp. 211-222

The piazza Pozzo Dorico substructures in Cori (the ancient Cora, a Latin city at the north-wester... more The piazza Pozzo Dorico substructures in Cori (the ancient Cora, a Latin city at the north-western slopes of the Lepini Mountains) represent a remarkable example of Roman public architecture of the Late Republican period. They are situated at the bottom of a secular and imposing terracing system, distributed on at least three levels. This paper aims at identifying the modular schemes, geometric shapes and proportions governing the layout plan of this monumental infrastructure, based on recent topographic surveys and new metrological considerations. Finally, it will investigate the relationship between the layout of the archaeological complex (apparently quite simple) and its function (still largely unknown), in order to attempt to identify the several formal and functional components that played a decisive role in the development of the original project.

in G. Caratelli (a cura di), Scripta manent. Tre anni di conferenze e incontri al Museo della Città e del Territorio di Cori, Pescara 2020 (Quaderni del Museo della Città e del Territorio di Cori, 1), pp. 145-160, 183-190

in C. Alessandri, The Restoration of the Nativity Church in Bethlehem, London 2020, pp. 216-224

The paper describes the methodological approach and the survey techniques used for the graphic do... more The paper describes the methodological approach and the survey techniques used for the graphic documentation of the approximately 120 square meters of mosaic decoration still preserved on the walls of the nave and transepts of the Nativity Church in Bethlehem.

in Annali del Lazio Meridionale. Storia e Storiografia, 38 (dicembre 2019), pp. 5-22, 2019

Nuovi dati dall'esplorazione della cisterna: GIOVANNI CARATELLI Prima di ripercorrere sinteticame... more Nuovi dati dall'esplorazione della cisterna: GIOVANNI CARATELLI Prima di ripercorrere sinteticamente e di aggiornare i risultati fondamentali di uno studio riguardante il complesso sostruttivo di piazza Pozzo Dorico a Cori, avviato ormai da qualche anno e tuttora in corso!, vorrei lumeggiare con altrettanta brevità lo stimolante e favorevole contesto culturale, caratterizzato da un clima di rinnovato interesse scientifico e accademico per il patrimonio storico e archeologico della città di Cori, nel quale è nata e si colloca questa ricerca".

in 2018 IEEE International Conference on Metrology for Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Proceedings (Cassino, University Campus, 22-24 ottobre 2018), pp. 368-373, 2018

The subject of this paper is an inscription scratched onto a painted wall of the small, but evoca... more The subject of this paper is an inscription scratched onto a painted wall of the small, but evocative, Oratory of SS. Annunziata in Cori (near Latina), built in the first half of the fifteenth century and well known to art historians and now also to the general public for its beautiful frescoes, depicting scenes from the Old and New Testament. This inscription is unanimously attributed by scholars to the famous humanist Giulio Pomponio Leto, but, based on a new survey, made using a high-definition 3D laser scanner, an alternative reading has been proposed.
Keywords: Cori, Oratory of SS. Annunziata, scratched inscriptions, medieval graffiti, Federico Hermanin, Giulio Pomponio Leto, high-definition laser scanner, roman catacombs

in 2018 IEEE International Conference on Metrology for Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Proceedings (Cassino, University Campus, 22-24 ottobre 2018), pp. 72-77, 2018

Excavations in multi-layered urban contexts, especially if aiming at the construction of importan... more Excavations in multi-layered urban contexts, especially if aiming at the construction of important public infrastructures, present considerable difficulties in many aspects, including the timing to be respected, the various types of processing to be coordinated and, last but not least, the need to document a huge quantity of archaeological finds that frequently have to be demolished or removed to continue working. For these reasons, the rapid survey for the creation of a 3D model, as a virtual representation of the archaeological remains in a precise and realistic way, is certainly an excellent solution to achieve valid archaeological documentation. In this paper, therefore, we will present the specific problems faced in the 3D photogrammetric survey of an excavation area for the construction of the new underground station Municipio in Naples, investigated and documented in different periods. In particular, we will describe the methodology developed, the integration of the old digital model with the one realized through new technologies and, finally, the methods chosen to allow usability of this monumental complex, which no longer exists, by the general public.

in A. Caravale (a cura di), Scavare, documentare, conservare. Viaggio nella ricerca archeologia del CNR, Roma 2016, pp. 212-217

in Annali del Lazio Meridionale. Storia e Storiografia, 29 (giugno 2015), pp. 7-28

in C. Panella, L. Saguì (a cura di), Valle del Colosseo e pendici nord-orientali del Palatino (Materiali e contesti, 1), Roma 2013, pp. 87-120

in L'Acropoli. Informazione politica e culturale, 50 (febbraio 2013), p. 4

in Archeologia Classica, 62, 2011, pp. 413-444

An imposing building of the Late Republican age, built to support an extensive paved area today c... more An imposing building of the Late Republican age, built to support an extensive paved area today called piazza Pozzo Dorico, is still preserved in the centre of the Latin town of Cora, close to the forum. This building is composed of seven rooms with vaulted ceiling built using the opus incertum technique, three of which were used as cisterns while the function of the other four is unknown. The latter give onto a street, today called via Ninfina, and are separated from the bedrock at the back by a narrow cavity wall; they have gone through a an endless series of works and restorations, which are still in progress and which have greatly changed its aspect and functionality. Only two of them still preserve the traces of a fountain, of which only the groove housing the pipe for the water supply and a basin are still in place.
This article offers an accurate description and archaeological analysis of the ancient masonry. It also offers-up to-date, albeit partial, documentation of the monument which includes all the other archaeological evidence that, in the light of the building technique used and topographical location, belonged to the same urban plan layout.

Books by Giovanni Caratelli

by Julian Bogdani, Fabiana Battistin, Giancarlo Pastura, Matteo Serpetti, Gabriele Ciccone, Domizia D'Erasmo, Filippo Diara, Lorenzo Fornaciari, Giovanni Caratelli, Cecilia Giorgi, Pellegrino Michele, Paolo Rosati, Alessandra Piergrossi, Irene Rossi, Andrea D'Andrea, Francesca Anichini, Piergiovanna Grossi, Marco Ciurcina, Marianna Figuera, Frederic Auth, Riccardo Montalbano, Ascanio D'Andrea, Emanuel Demetrescu, Timo Homburg, Daniele Santamaria, and Livia Tirabassi

The book of abstracts of ArcheoFOSS International Conference, 14th edition 2020. The conference w... more The book of abstracts of ArcheoFOSS International Conference, 14th edition 2020.
The conference will be held on October 15-17, in the World Wide Web. More information is available at https://2020.archeofoss.org