LiDAR, territory and archaeological areas: new results and perspectives for the knowledge, analysis and preservation of complex context

Within the "Tarquinia Project" and the “Centro di Ricerca Coordinato”, involving different groups of the Università degli Studi di Milano (Archaeology, Computer Science and Communication, Geoarchaeology, Palaeoanthropology) and the Politecnico di Milano (Architecture and Conservation of Cultural Heritage), the carried out activities were aimed at defining the best methodologies for the documentation, analysis, study and conservation of the archaeological remains in the territory of Tarquinia. Within this broad framework, from 2010 the two research groups focused their efforts in the identification of the entire route of the ancient Tarquinia wall circuit and the archaeological structures it contains in order to create thematic maps of the archaeological remains of the “Pianoro della Civita”. The performed work examined the available historical documentation, proceeding in an extensive analysis of the marks that characterized the area. Given the complex morphology of the area, the ancient presence of the sites spread over fourteen centuries and the dense vegetation characterizing the slopes, in order to investigate the archaeological objects a laser scanner survey using LiDAR technology (Light Detection and Ranging) of the entire territory was performed. Through this system it was possible to carry out detailed geoarchaeological analysis, due the numerous phenomena of instability and runoff affecting the surfaces of the inhabited area and also involving the construction of the city wall circuit. These investigations, together with what emerges from the interpretation of the cartographies and the history of the archaeological analysis, made it possible to evaluate and verify the archaeological remains, contributing to the creation of the thematic maps of the ancient Tarquinian city walls.