Papers by Giovanni Leucci
The Roman Villa at Piazza Armerina, which has been on the UNESCO list of sites since 1997, is an ... more The Roman Villa at Piazza Armerina, which has been on the UNESCO list of sites since 1997, is an exceptional example of a prestigious residence from the late antique period. In order to plan new excavations in the area close to the villa's warehouses and in other parts not yet investigated, geophysical surveys were undertaken in the summer of 2022. In this paper, the interesting results will be presented.
The Appian Way-Rome's gateway to the East-was Europe's first highway and the wonder of its day. B... more The Appian Way-Rome's gateway to the East-was Europe's first highway and the wonder of its day. Built in 312 BC, it connected Rome with Capua (near Naples), running in a straight line for much of the way. Eventually, it stretched 644 km to Brindisi, from where Roman ships sailed to Greece and Egypt. With the aim of highlighting its route, geophysical surveys were carried out in some areas of southern Puglia. This paper deals with the results of an archaeogeophysical approach based on the comparative use of gradiometric and Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) measurements. The results of one investigated area are presented.
Canossa Castle is located in a commune of Canossa 18 km (11 mi) South of Reggio Emilia, Reggio Em... more Canossa Castle is located in a commune of Canossa 18 km (11 mi) South of Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia province of Italy. Canossa Castle was constructed in 940 by Adalberto Atto, son of Sigifredo of Lucca. Lombard chieftains needed this strategic hill to defend their lands against intrusions of other barbarian tribes. Subsequent improvements made the stronghold one of the best defended castles in the country. Canossa Castle became particularly famous as a site of reconciliation between king Henry IV and Roman pope Gregory VII during Investiture Controversy in 1077. In order to planned excavations in the area close to the Castle geophysical surveys were undertaken in the spring of 2022. In this paper, the interesting results will be presented.
Lecce's historical character is expressed by its historical centre, rich in cultural and architec... more Lecce's historical character is expressed by its historical centre, rich in cultural and architectural marvels of the past. However, the symbol of Lecce's ancient origins is the Roman amphitheatre in St. Oronzo square, the core of the city. The amphitheatre was discovered during the construction of the building of the Bank of Italy by some workers in the early '900. In order to have pieces of information related to the structure of the amphitheatre, geophysical surveys were undertaken inside and outside it. In this paper, some of the interesting results obtained will be presented.
The basilica of Santa Caterina D'Alessandria was built between 1369 and 1391, by order of Raimond... more The basilica of Santa Caterina D'Alessandria was built between 1369 and 1391, by order of Raimondello Orsini del Balzo. These, on one of his many journeys, returning from the Crusades, went as far as the summit of Mount Sinai to pay homage to the body of Saint Catherine. The building, on Raimondello's death in 1405, will be completed by his wife, Princess Maria d'Enghien, and then by his son, Giovanni Antonio Orsini Del Balzo. A study, using ground penetrating radar tecnique (GPR) was undertaken inside the Basilica in order to investigate the oldest structure of the church. The GPR analysis showed a series of anomalies that could be related to the old plant of the basilica.
The instability of the hypogean archaeological site named "Grotta della Poesia", was studied by c... more The instability of the hypogean archaeological site named "Grotta della Poesia", was studied by combing geological and geophysical methods. The inside geometry of fractures and the physical parameters of the surrounding and underground materials were the primary objectives of the geophysical survey. 2D seismic tomography and 2D electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) were combined to make a first diagnosis. First seismic data were acquired along one horizontal profile delimited by the line of the sources inside the cave and the receiver lying on the ground surface. ERT profile was overlapped with the seismic profile but the electrodes were placed on the ground surface. The interpretation of integrated geophysical data resulted in evaluating some of the rock mass parameters such as the rock quality designation, linear fracture density and fracture density.
The Roman amphitheater of Venosa (Potenza, Italy) is one of the experimental sites identified as ... more The Roman amphitheater of Venosa (Potenza, Italy) is one of the experimental sites identified as part of the IDEHA project in the Basilicata region. The monument represents one of the most representative buildings of the ancient city of Venusia, famous for being the birthplace of the poet Orazio. In this study the results of a part of the project are proposed, those relating to the geophysical investigation campaign undertaken to investigate the presence of structures of archaeological interest in the amphitheater area.
The Messapian necropolis of Monte d'Elia is related to one of the most important ancient settleme... more The Messapian necropolis of Monte d'Elia is related to one of the most important ancient settlements in the Salento Peninsula (in south Italy). In order to understand the extension and layout of this necropolis in the various periods of its use, an electromagnetic prospection was undertaken in an area adjacent to the necropolis. The analysis of the electromagnetic data revealed many anomalies that could be ascribed to archaeological structures (tombs).
The monastery of St Maria of Monacato was built on the foundation slab of an imposing Roman villa... more The monastery of St Maria of Monacato was built on the foundation slab of an imposing Roman villa dating back to the 2 nd -1 st century BC. In March 2023 a geophysical survey campaign was undertaken to identify the buried remains of the villa and direct the excavations.
The Messapian city walls in Ugento (Puglia, in south Italy) are of great archaeological importanc... more The Messapian city walls in Ugento (Puglia, in south Italy) are of great archaeological importance and some sections are still visible. In order to locate a stretch of the city walls, a non-destructive geophysical prospection was performed, applying the electromagnetic method. The survey was carried out in a peripheral area of Ugento, near a visible section of the city walls. The analysis and interpretation of the measured electromagnetic data (specifically in this work, the quadrature-phase component) revealed a clear anomaly that could be ascribed to the city walls; in fact, it is aligned with the adjacent section of the visible walls.
Remote Sensing
The Castle of Melfi is placed on a hilltop overlooking the modern town and it includes many build... more The Castle of Melfi is placed on a hilltop overlooking the modern town and it includes many buildings that have been modified and expanded over time. Its Norman-era core was probably built between the end of the 11th and the start of the 12th century on top of an earlier Byzantine castrum; it was enlarged during the reign of Frederick II and additional alterations were undertaken during the reigns of the Angevin and Aragonese. Integrated ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) surveys were carried out inside two courtyards of the westernmost part of the castle, the Cortile degli Armigeri and the Cortile del Mortorio, and in an external eastern wall area in order to identify ancient buried structures through two different methods of investigation and to compare the results.
In Apulia Region there is a dense historical-architectural and archaeological heritage built with... more In Apulia Region there is a dense historical-architectural and archaeological heritage built with soft calcarenitic stones. These materials present significant problems of conservation related to their low durability and therefore know the intrinsic characteristics is crucial to evaluate the performance properties and their susceptibility to degradation. To evaluate the physical-mechanical characteristics of the stone materials is very useful to use non-destructive and non-invasive technologies such as ultrasonic, applicable both in situ and in the laboratory. The factors influencing the propagation of elastic waves in the rocks are the structure, density, size and shape of the granules, porosity, anisotropy, the water content, stress and temperature. In this paper the effects of saturation on the elastic wave velocity and the relationship between density and elastic wave velocity were studied on some Apulia’s porous calcarenites such as Leccese stone, the Ostuni stone and the calca...
NDT, Jun 22, 2024
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Remote Sensing of Environment, 2016
Heritage, Mar 12, 2023
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Uploads
Papers by Giovanni Leucci