Il monitoraggio delle coperture di aree archeologiche. Lo stato dell’arte e il caso-studio di Ostia antica

The topic of covering archaeological areas has been the subject of great interest in recent years, as demonstrated by numerous papers published by archaeologists, architects, physicists, restorers, etc. The contribution of professionals from different scientific fields - as prescribed by article 2 of the Venice Charter - has contributed to broadening the perspectives of studies on the topic, which until recently were mainly focused on the analysis of figurative and technological aspects. In the evaluation of shelters, the literature has generally been based on the idea that covering a site is always preferable to leaving it exposed to external atmospheric conditions; however, the presence of a shelter determines new micro-environmental conditions which can trigger chemical-physical and biological mechanisms of degradation. This paper analyzes a case-study for which an annual monitoring campaign has been designed, within of the archaeological site of Ostia antica: the Insula delle Ierodule.