The GIS-based historical atlas of Rome (original) (raw)
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Rome in the 18th century: a GIS application in the field of urban history
GIS Urban history Historical cartography Georeferencing Spatial analysis Rome This article describes the use of GIS technology in urban historical studies, focusing on one case study about Rome in the 18 th century. Specific methods of data acquisition and spatial analysis were developed in GIS environment, exploiting the versatility of this technology in the treatment of historical cartographic and documentary sources. This approach, based on the integration of archival sources that complement each other, makes possible the analysis of urban phenomenologies according to different thematic keys, offering diversified insights into the urban context.
A GIS Approach to Urban History: Rome in the 18th Century.
This article explores the integration of GIS technology with urban historical studies, focusing on one case study from the 18th century, the project Historical atlas of the modern Rome. The methodology employed in this project allows for effectiveness and accuracy in historical data acquisition and integration, which enables refined analyses of socioeconomic and environmental phenomena. The approach outlined in this article allowed researchers from different disciplines—city historians, archaeologists, demographists, economists, and so on—to interpret urban phenomenologies according to different thematic keys. These interpretations were derived from archival sources that complement each other and offer diversified insights into the urban context. The techniques described in the article are based on methods of data acquisition and spatial analysis developed in a GIS environment by exploiting the effectiveness of this technology in the quantitative treatment of cartographic and documentary sources.
2014
In the eighteenth century the evolution of measurement techniques based on trigonometric calculations and the codification of topography as an applied science in different European States resulted in the progressive substitution of traditional bird’s eye views with geometrically correct ichnographic representations of cities. The existence of precise and reliable cartographic information represents an analytical benchmark for the discipline of urban history. It makes possible to use modern information techniques for analysing the urban structure and its formal and functional contents from a ‘geographical-thematic’ perspective. This paper discusses the use of eighteenth-century cartographic and documentary sources for the purpose of analysing the characteristics and the transformation of the urban fabric of Rome within the Aurelian walls. The methodological aspects and the analytical results are taken from the project «Atlante di Roma moderna», promoted by the Centro di ateneo per lo...
The frame that set the Council of the European Union about the Digital Libraries has allowed to create important cartographic databases that are accessible on-line and give a response to the real demand among citizens and within the research community. We have developped an open GIS that surpasses the usual operativity of the traditional multiformat databases as it enlarges through the queries the way to get a more personalised information. This new methodology has been created with the aim of being implemented all around the European Union, and will allow the searches and analysis of the historical evolution of the territories and landscapes based upon the study of old cartographic documents.
2015
The research focuses on the first establishment urban map of the nineteenth century Gregorian Cadastre of Bologna, kept today at the State Archives of the city. In this cadastral cartography the city is divided into some sectors; for each sector – unique case in the Gregorian Cadastre of the ancient Papal State – there are ground floor maps and maps for the floors above and below. The present study aims to analyse this peculiar cadastre using digital tools deriving from the integration of geomatic and archival skills. For some test-areas, a careful comparative consultation of the graphical information stored in the georeferenced maps and the written one in the related cadastral registers is performed; this allows 3D digital reconstructions of the horizontal and vertical extent of the cadastral proprieties, and also thematic visualizations (e.g. according to owners, designed use, rent, etc.). This modern kind of representation allows a deep analysis of the complex nineteenth century ...
GIS applications for the archaeological analysis of a medieval town: Pisa, Italy
Archeologia e Calcolatori, 2012
The main use of GIS in archaeology is connected to regional research or management of excavation data sets. The use of GIS for urban archaeological research is far less extensive. The urban GIS about the medieval town of Pisa contains all archaeological data from occasional findings to modern stratigraphic excavations, geographical data, historical cartography data and urban data, each described by the geometrical shape (point, line, polygon) that best represents each feature. The distinguishing environmental context to which the town is connected is characterized by a complex hydrographic system; GIS analysis enabled us to study the relationships between the urban transformations and the surrounding environment. The article explains how geostatistical analysis allowed us to create a model of the ancient landscape and how the use of map algebra was useful in understanding the medieval environment. The difficulty in finding raw archaeological data, that is, all the excavation and fieldwork recording (planning of context, context recording sheet, photographs, findings quantification sheet), suggested the necessity to create an open digital archive and to provide possible standardization of digital formats, metadata records and archaeological data recording, so as to allow a comparison between the data.
Cartographic models for a diachronic analysis of the urban image of Rome
2011
Considering the physical elements of the city system as the material expression of all the evolutionary phenomena of sites, its representation can be considered as a system of general knowledge capable of coalescing heterogeneous information. The enormous changes that take place in cities over the years have determined an evolution of the morphological variations in the territorial setup, in the architectural stratification of the urban structure and in the perception and use of urban space. If urban space is considered as a place where people interact, then bibliographical, iconographic and cartographic sources contribute to providing a diachronic reconstruction of the urban fabric, which is possible thanks to the historical representations produced over the years, which are sometimes symbolic if not metaphorical: these representations make it possible to understand the sites even if their accuracy is debatable. The use of computer science in survey and cartographic representation and the creation of regional IT systems has made it possible not only to establish interlinked georeferential databases, but above all facilitate multiple consultation and later elaboration. Digital cartography used to create three-dimensional models is therefore a way to review space - not on the basis of planimetric explorations but by creating virtual models more or less automatically generated based on the cartography itself. Three-dimensional cartography should be studied to identify specificities and details present in the restitution of the urban space; these characteristics immediately prompt one to try and use the same representative exuberance to reconstruct the historical past of the city or at least of some of its more important periods, especially the changes in its orography and constructions. The city of Rome is a paradigmatic example of a historical stratification that has constantly reused the same sites and physical structures and is unique insofar as its destiny as a modern capital dates back to the eighth century B.C. But real continuity belongs to the present because the kinetic and three-dimensional image seen by anyone walking the streets of Rome projects a range of different portraits of its historical past. The centre of Rome is an excellent study area also because it has a technically good selection of sufficiently continuous cartographic records to allow comparison between the different iconographic sources, on the one hand starting from the classical period with the Forma Urbis and the maquette by Gismondi which represent – albeit with their undeniable approximations - a good starting point, and, on the other, the 3D digital cartography made in 2000. KEY WORDS: Georeferential databases, urban tranformations, digital model, urban stratification, Rome, urban “caposaldi”.
The GIS Forma Urbis Romae Project: Creating a Layered History of Rome
Humanist Studies & the Digital Age, 2013
Using advanced GIS technology and accepted scholarly methods, this multidisciplinary project intends to create a layered history of Rome by updating Forma Urbis Romae, the cartographic masterpiece of ancient Roman topography published in 1901 by archeologist Rodolfo Lanciani. This extremely accurate map measures 25 by 17 ft and uses an innovative graphic system that represents Rome's historic urban fabric as a series of transparent layers from ancient to modern. The map remains the standard archeological reference for Rome even though it does not incorporate archeological discoveries uncovered since its original publication 100 years ago. We plan to critically examine, update, and eventually republish the map as an interactive website that will also serve as a dynamic geo-database for scholars and others. Our project team will bring its considerable experience in Web-based design in the study of the humanities to ensure a highly intuitive product that is accessible, interactive, and expandable. The GIS Forma Urbis Romae Project is a long term, multidisciplinary effort involving archeology, art and architectural history, urban studies, cartography, history, and geography. It proposes to explore important aspects of the humanities using digital methods that can facilitate our understanding of history and place. The subject of this inquiry is Rome, and the object of our investigation is the cartographic masterpiece and pioneering study of ancient Roman topography, Forma Urbis Romae (fig. 1). Published in 1901 by the Italian archeologist Rodolfo Lanciani (1847-1929), this map sums up the rich cartographic tradition to be found for Rome. Today it remains the standard archeological reference for the city even though it does not incorporate the host of archeological discoveries that have come to light since its original publication.
Journal of Earth Science and Engineering, 2015
This paper presents the research method applied to the "Archaeological Map of Italy-Forma Italiae" project, comprising to date the Ager Venusinus project (completed) and the Ager Lucerinus project (ongoing). The idea of an Archaeological Map of Italy dates back to 1889 when by Royal degree the "Bureau for an Archeological Map of Italy" was created. Many decades later, with the advent of information technology and satellite observing systems (GPS) a "new era" of archaeological mapping began and the "Forma Italiae", thanks to these technological developments, began to develop the first Territorial Information System of archaeological matter in Italy. Between 1989 and 1992, studies and experiments were carried out on automatic systems for the acquisition, calculation and management of archaeological data relating to the Carta Archeologica d'Italia (Forma Italiae). Our project sought to put together many experiences, including some from the past, as part of a ministerial initiative resulting in the establishment of a committee; furthermore, it sought to extend the discussion that for many years concerned primarily academic institutions to the sectors dealing with protection and archeological prevention. Though it has been designed for prevention and p otection, it simultaneously serves as the basic instrument for understanding and enhancement of the cultural resources of the territory. In discussions about preventive archaeology and about the so-called "archaeological risk", it is very useful to create a databank of the known archaeological heritage. For this purpose, a computerized system for data management was used, composed of a GIS platform associated with an alphanumeric archive and designed soon to become a web GIS.
A GIS for the management of historical and archaeological data
2005
ABSTRACT The goal of the European INTERREG IIIB project “Roman Routes in the Mediterranean”, coordinated by the Cultural Heritage Safeguard Office of the Aosta Valley (North-West Italy), is to analyse the transformations that have occurred in the Ayas Valley (AO) between the Roman times and middle ages. Six research groups, from different disciplines, have taken part in this project: classical archaeologists, medieval archaeologists, historians and geologists.