Archaeobotanical studies

The book inaugurates a monumental multi-volume series devoted to the scientific study and conservation of Christianity’s most revered sanctuary. It presents the project and its methodology, tracing seventeen centuries of history embedded in the stones of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Through an unprecedented collaboration among the Greek Orthodox, Catholic, and Armenian communities, and a multidisciplinary team of archaeologists, engineers, historians, and conservation scientists, coordinated by Sapienza Università di Roma, the book documents the comprehensive investigation of the church’s floor, substructures, and underground infrastructures. Combining stratigraphic excavation, 3D GIS, advanced diagnostics, and rigorous archival research, it reveals the site’s transformation from quarry and garden to imperial basilica and global pilgrimage centre. Offering not only new data but also an innovative model for working within a living place of worship, this first volume lays the methodological and interpretive foundations for the subsequent books in the series.