Dall’oggetto al contesto. Ancora sulla difficile esegesi dei depositi archeologici alla luce di una recente esperienza romana

This paper focuses on some methodological considerations on the current approaches to complex settlement sequences and on the comparative analysis of the different categories of materials collected during the investigations (including, obviously, the coin). The reference to some important previous experiences and the analysis of stratigraphies documented more recently by Sapienza - University of Rome on the north-eastern slope of Palatine hill have allowed us to appreciate the effects of a broad contextual analysis in the reconstruction of the formative dynamics of archaeological stratification and of the role played by the finds. The examination of specific cases has also made it possible to summarize the main tools currently in use in the hermeneutical path which leads from the analysis and recomposition of the documented sequence, to the preliminary quantification of artefacts and ecofacts and to the study of the relative relationships, to the observation of the sample on the basis of the position and chronological distribution of the various elements and, eventually, to the various editorial choices. The ultimate goal is the identification of shared method choices, which lead the classification, study and analysis of complex datasets, in order to ask common questions about the historical value of the finds and overcome the barriers of the different categories of material.