Integrated Geophysical Study of Archaeological Sites in the Aquileia Area

Integrated remote sensing and geophysical methods can provide detailed information about buried cultural heritage. We implemented an integrated survey protocol (IREGA, Integrated REmote-sensing and Geophysical prospecting for Archaeology) and tested the performance of the method in the area of the ancient Roman town of Aquileia, NE Italy, to define and characterize microareas of archaeological interest starting from macro-area observations. We used electromagnetic (GPR; ground-penetrating radar), magnetic and remote sensing (MIVIS; Multispectral Infrared and Visible Imaging Spectrometer) to image and characterize buried targets of potential archaeological interest in the depth range between 100 and 350 cm. We identified various geometrically coherent anomalies, possibly related to subsurface structures, through MIVIS data processing and found them in good agreement with the elements reported in the Aquileia archaeological map obtained from documentary evidence and excavations performed in the last century. Ultra High Resolution (UHR) MultiFold (MF) Ground-penetrating Radar (GPR) and magnetic surveys confirmed the MIVIS results and allowed imaging and mapping of buried structure related to different Roman remains (SE sector of the Circus, harbor and residential buildings foundations, roads).