Arcate e muri nascosti in cortile. Nuove prospettive di ricerche per l'Insula Volusiana

The revival of archaeological investigations in the so-called Insula Volusiana – carried out by the University of Rome Sapienza in collaboration with the Sovrintendenza Capitolina – has shed new light on the remains preserved in the courtyard of Via Petroselli 45, now the headquarters of the SIMU Department of Roma Capitale. The complex, characterised by a road flanked by rooms and structures of various types, mainly in brickwork, preserves ancient and post-antique contexts and phases of a sector of primary importance in the city. Careful research on the historical and photographic archives of the Sovrintendenza Capitolina has provided unpublished information which represents a fundamental tool for analysis and interpretation. Particularly important were the plans drawn up at the time of the discovery, often annotated in the margins by the contractors, and the images relating to the excavations that unexpectedly brought the archaeological complex to light in the 1930s. The work then focused on the examination of the remains present, framed within the general topography of the area – with particular attention to the adjacent sacred area of S. Omobono – and subjected to a direct survey and photogrammetric reconstruction of the elevations. The creation of phase plans, based on an accurate differentiation between the various construction activities and integrated with archive material and period images of the fascist demolitions, has thus made it possible to advance new interpretations of the entire complex, the first results of which are presented here.