Papers by Gianluca Catanzariti
HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), 2021
HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), Aug 28, 2019
Papers in Italian Archaeology VII: The Archaeology of Death, 2018
Vulnerability of urban areas and their infrastructures depends on many different factors (e.g. ag... more Vulnerability of urban areas and their infrastructures depends on many different factors (e.g. ageing of structures, differential displacements, presence of dangerous factors in the underground) and is now worsened by the effects of climate changes. Therefore, the necessity of performing long-term assessment is mandatory and the challenging aim is to “monitor” cities and embedded infrastructures, by accounting for multiplicity of possible risks/hazards. In this context, there is the necessity to investigate underground that is not only a possible cause of hazard but can also be considered a factor of social and economic growth due to buried archaeological assets, which if properly exploited, can become a factor improving the social identity of the community and enable touristic opportunities. Moreover, underground structures may represent an obstacle to urban redevelopment and qualification activities, because their preservation entails stringent constraints about planning and execu...
[ES]: Se estudia un molde metalurgico, hallado en una estancia de la ciudad celtiberica de Numanc... more [ES]: Se estudia un molde metalurgico, hallado en una estancia de la ciudad celtiberica de Numancia, para fabricar un tipo de fibula anular, desconocida y singular, confirmando la importancia de la metalisteria en esta ciudad, como se habia apuntado en diferentes trabajos; asi como la capacidad creativa de los numantinos ampliamente demostrada, no solo en la metalurgia, sino tambien en su rica y especial ceramica. [EN]: It is studied a metalworker cast, found in a room in the Celtiberian city of Numantia, designed to make an unknown and singular type of ring fibula, confirming the importance of metalworking in this city, as was pointed in different works, and the frequently demonstrated creativity of people from Numantia, not only in their rich and special ceramics, but also in metal creations.
The paper presents and discusses results from the integration of various methods of geophysical p... more The paper presents and discusses results from the integration of various methods of geophysical prospection on the plateau between the Via Appia and the Via Ardeatina on the ancient suburb of Rome. The use of large-scale magnetometry, georadar and electromagnetic survey in an area of particularly dense archaeological remains is a highly effective methodology for revealing important information on previously unknown archaeological features. Of particular interest in this case is the comparison between geophysical data and the results of previous excavations, and newly-targeted test investigations that suggest the survival of the documented but previously undiscovered basilica of Pope Damasus as well as unknown catacomb tunnels at San Callisto and elsewhere on the plateau.
This article presents the Stockholm Volterra Project and its developments since 2013. This projec... more This article presents the Stockholm Volterra Project and its developments since 2013. This project, run by Stockholm University and the Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies, has carried ...
Between 1603 and 1633, the religious order of the Jesuits managed to establish Catholicism as off... more Between 1603 and 1633, the religious order of the Jesuits managed to establish Catholicism as official religion in Ethiopia, period in which land grants were conceded, associated to a considerable "foreign" building activity. Nowadays, most of the remains are badly preserved and situated in remote sites, causing problems concerning documentation, conservation and research on that particular cultural heritage. In the present work, terrestrial middle range laser scanning was applied to produce three dimensional digital models of Jesuit remains in the northwestern region of Lake Tana. An overview about the sites history, the instrumentation used and the workflow in data evaluation is given, followed by five practical examples covering all the Jesuit remains in the mentioned region. A special focus is dedicated to the possibility to obtain reflectographic data and to the importance of integrating into such models information achieved by other techniques, such as ground penetra...
Near Eastern Archaeology, 2020
Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 2018
In this work, we present 16 directional and 27 intensity high-quality values from Iberia. Moreove... more In this work, we present 16 directional and 27 intensity high-quality values from Iberia. Moreover, we have updated the Iberian archeomagnetic catalogue published more than 10 years ago with a considerable increase in the database. This has led to a notable improvement of both temporal and spatial data distribution. A full vector paleosecular variation curve from 1000 BC to 1900 AD has been developed using high-quality data within a radius of 900 km from Madrid. A hierarchical bootstrap method has been followed for the computation of the curves. The most remarkable feature of the new curves is a notable intensity maximum of about 80 μT around 600 BC, which has not been previously reported for the Iberian Peninsula. We have also analyzed the evolution of the paleofield in Europe for the last three thousand years and conclude that the high maximum intensity values observed around 600 BC in the Iberian Peninsula could respond to the same feature as the Levantine Iron Age Anomaly, after travelling westward through Europe. Plain language summary Knowledge of the Earth's magnetic field plays an important role on the understanding of its dynamics. By measuring certain rocks or archeological objects from around the world, we can determine the field's shape and intensity in former times. Knowing its evolution is essential to understand how this field is generated, how it has varied through time and how it may behave in the future. In this work, we present new measurements of the magnetic field from the Iberian Peninsula that provide useful constraints on the magnetic field for archeological times that currently lack information. We have updated the compilation of Iberian data for the last 3,000 years and calculated a new reference curve for the magnetic field for this region. We have found that the magnetic field was particularly intense in the Iberian Peninsula about 2,600 years ago. By comparing this result with data from Europe and the Middle East, we observe that this high intensity has been moving from east to west through southern Europe. This feature is probably related with the rapid intensity change (the geomagnetic spike) recently discovered in the Levantine region.
Between 1603 and 1633, the religious order of the Jesuits managed to establish Catholicism as off... more Between 1603 and 1633, the religious order of the Jesuits managed to establish Catholicism as official religion in Ethiopia, period in which land grants were conceded, associated to a considerable “foreign” building activity. Nowadays, most of the remains are badly preserved and situated in remote sites, causing problems concerning documentation, conservation and research on that particular Cultural Heritage. In the present work, terrestrial middle range laser scanning was applied to produce three dimensional digital models of Jesuit remains in the north-western region of lake Tana. An overview about the sites history, the used instrumentation and the workflow in data evaluation is given, followed by five practical examples, covering all the Jesuit remains in the mentioned region. A special focus is dedicated to the possibility to obtain reflectographic data and to the importance of integrating into such models information achieved by other techniques, such as ground penetrating radar.
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 2013
ABSTRACT A small amber fragment from the period of roman occupation of Numantia (Garray, Spain) w... more ABSTRACT A small amber fragment from the period of roman occupation of Numantia (Garray, Spain) was characterised by FTIR spectroscopy and optical microscopy. The material was found to be a polystyrene-like material, which is a very rare fossil resin known as Siegburgite or class III amber. Until now, this material was found in Europe only at two sites, both localised in Germany and it is the first time that this type of amber was identified in wrought archaeological artefacts. The discussion includes the applicability of the method to distinguish false from true and amber of different origin, its use and trading as well as a hypothesis for a transport route. The study highlights the need for a more systematic study of archaeological amber remains. The finding also proves the exploitation and trading of local, non-Baltic amber deposits throughout the Roman Empire.
Journal of Cultural Heritage, 2019
The existence of hidden chambers and corridors adjacent to Tutankhamun's tomb (code name KV62) ha... more The existence of hidden chambers and corridors adjacent to Tutankhamun's tomb (code name KV62) has been long debated. In 2015 it was suggested that these chambers may host the as yet undiscovered burial of Nefertiti. In order to test this hypothesis, two Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) surveys, conducted in 2015 and 2016 from inside KV62, were carried out, but gave contradictory results. To solve these uncertainties and obtain a more confident and conclusive response, a third GPR survey was conducted by our team in February 2018. The results of this third radar scan are reported in this article. Three GPR systems with multiple frequency bands (from 150 MHz to 3000 MHz) and very dense spatial sampling were adopted. After careful data processing, no evidence of marked discontinuities due to the passage from natural rock to artificial blocking walls were found in the radargrams. It is therefore concluded that there are no hidden chambers immediately adjacent to the Tomb of Tutankhamun.
Journal of Cultural Heritage, 2019
Geophysical Journal International, 2012
2018 17th International Conference on Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR)
The use of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) in structural investigations is based on the detection ... more The use of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) in structural investigations is based on the detection of features., embedded objects and flaws that cause a reflection of the transmitted electromagnetic wave. Construction types may vary from concrete to masonry and rock and possible targets include metallic reinforcements., ducts., plastic pipes., air voids., as well as the boundaries of the object itself. While a traditional impulse Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) system uses time-domain measurements of the reflected waves within the investigated objects., a Stepped-Frequency Continuous-Wave (SFCW) system collects data in the frequency domain and converts the data to time-domain data through computer processing. Until recently., the time-consuming calculations associated with the real-time inverse Fourier transforms in SFCW systems limited its application. Thanks to faster processing capabilities available nowadays., this limitation no longer applies to structural GPR. The experimental work on representative concrete and masonry structures presented in this paper shows a systematic comparison of a new SFCW GPR system with traditional impulse radar systems. The results illustrate that SFCW technology combines the highest resolution in the detection of shallow targets., with a very broad detection range., potentially resolving the resolution/penetration trade-off observed in established structural GPR systems.
Digital Cities
Vulci 3000 is a multidisciplinary archaeological research project that applies cutting-edge techn... more Vulci 3000 is a multidisciplinary archaeological research project that applies cutting-edge technologies to produce a diachronic reconstruction of the Etruscan and Roman site of Vulci (tenth century BCE–fifth century CE). Located in the province of Viterbo, Italy, Vulci was one of the largest and most important cities of the Etruscan Dodecapolis—the federation of the most important cities of ancient Etruria, and one of the biggest cities in the first millennium BCE on the Italian peninsula. This project is aimed at the integration of different digital technologies of data capturing, simulation, and visualization for the interpretation and reconstruction of the ancient city.
Advances in ground penetrating radar imaging with multi-channel systems have greatly improved the... more Advances in ground penetrating radar imaging with multi-channel systems have greatly improved the speed and areal coverage of the ground. Along with improved imaging software, datasets recorded with multi-channel systems can be processed at similar speeds to coarsely spaced single channel data that would normally require additional time for interpolation processes to fill in the gaps between lines. With the cross-line spacing approaching a 1/4 wavelength of the transmitted microwaves into the ground, multi-channel systems have the advantage of complete coverage of a site with no need for interpolation in most cases except to fill in the gaps between adjacent tracks if so desired. Multi-channel systems do require additional RSP (radagram signal processes) in order to balance the channels and to condition the data prior to imaging. Spectral whitening and several other RSP methods are shown with their application to imaging of sites from bridge decks for deterioration to the discovery of subsurface archaeological remains. Data processed from several different multi-channel GPR systems are shown.
Advances in ground penetrating radar imaging with multi-channel systems have greatly improved the... more Advances in ground penetrating radar imaging with multi-channel systems have greatly improved the speed and areal coverage of the ground. Along with improved imaging software, datasets recorded with multi-channel systems can be processed at similar speeds to coarsely spaced single channel data that would normally require additional time for interpolation processes to fill in the gaps between lines. With the cross-line spacing approaching a 1/4 wavelength of the transmitted microwaves into the ground, multi-channel systems have the advantage of complete coverage of a site with no need for interpolation in most cases except to fill in the gaps between adjacent tracks if so desired. Multi-channel systems do require additional RSP (radagram signal processes) in order to balance the channels and to condition the data prior to imaging. Spectral whitening and several other RSP methods are shown with their application to imaging of sites from bridge decks for deterioration to the discovery of subsurface archaeological remains. Data processed from several different multi-channel GPR systems are shown.
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Papers by Gianluca Catanzariti
cui è stata oggetto l’area archeologica di via Brisa in occasione
dell’esposizione Expo Milano 2015, sono stati condotti
rilievi geofi sici con metodologia Ground Penetrating Radar
3D (GPR-3D) allo scopo di eseguire una mappatura delle
strutture archeologiche che ancora giacciono sepolte nel
sottosuolo e trarre eventuali informazioni d’interesse circa
l’impianto costruttivo dell’edifi cio romano e la stratigrafi a
archeologica dell’area.
Le indagini sono state eseguite con l’impiego di una strumentazione
radar innovativa che opera secondo un concetto
tomografi co consistente nell’acquisizione simultanea di
multipli radargrammi paralleli, intervallati da distanze estremamente
ridotte, variabili da 4 a 12 cm in funzione dei limiti
imposti dal teorema di Nyquist-Shannon per un campionamento
tridimensionale di segnali elettromagnetici che sia
privo di aliasing spazio-temporale.
Il post-processing dei dati è stato condotto combinando metodi
d’analisi e fi ltraggio del segnale elettromagnetico con
algoritmi di correlazione spaziale pesata sull’inverso della
distanza e funzioni software di equalizzazione e bilanciamento
delle immagini. Lo stesso ha portato all’elaborazione
di una sequenza di mappe radar riferite a intervalli di profondità
progressivamente crescente dette GPR-time slices, le
quali mostrano l’organizzazione spaziale dei segnali e riproducono
l’ubicazione e la geometria delle strutture archeologiche
rilevate. In tal senso, l’indagine ha condotto alla selezione di quattro
anomalie geofi siche ubicate all’interno dell’area archeologica,
due a sud, una a nord-est e una in posizione intermedia,
le quali sono state segnalate alla committenza.