La villa attribuita a Valerio Messalla Corvino a Ciampino (Roma) nel suo contesto storico e topografico

In summer 2012 a luxuriosus roman villa, dated to augustean age, is been discovered during an archeological escavation in Ciampino (Rome). A group of marble statues, showing the Niobids, is finded into the natatio pool. During the XIX century, in the same place, a lead pipe mentioning Valerius Messalla was discovered: this finding suggested that the villa was owned by this powerful senatorial gens. The research area, called Muro/Muri dei Francesi, is located beyond the last slope of Alban Hills in their congiuction point with Campagna Romana plan, in Rome's South-East suburbium. The plan, from the geo-morphological point of view, is crossed by a several natural ditches and a low straight ridge who link the Alban Hills to Tiber river valley: therefore – also tanks to the development of ancient roads network – this area well be one of most populated by roman aristocracy villas. The Ciampino's Niobids are similars to Florence Uffizi Museum Group, but different for the presence of some unknown characters and for iconographic rendering of details. This offer new possibilities for the knowledge and interpetation of the first Niobides group of which we dispose of an archaeological data set. The two research approaches are been: the collection and critical analysis of archives documents dated at XIX century and, as regards fieldwork research, the stratigraphic analysis of the available masonry structures (excavated for less than 40%), with the complementary realisation of detailed relief and graphic documentation. At last, the study and documentation of the archaeological materials coming from the excavation, which allowed, with sufficient tolerance, the chronology of the site to be determined.