Nuovi dati e nuove ipotesi sulla pianificazione urbana di Aquileia

Andrea Raffaele Ghiotto,

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Abstract

During the last few decades, a range of studies has focused from different perspectives on Aquileia’s town planning. Recent excavations carried out since 2009 by the University of Padua at the so called “fondi ex Cossar” area have provided this research topic with fresh evidence. The excavated site is a residential block between two parallel streets. It is located in the south-eastern part of the city, within the Republican city-walls. The excavation has led to the discovery – for the first time in Aquileia – of an “atrium house”. This house occupies a lot which was on one side bordered by a wall, which subdivided longitudinally the whole block. Based on the lot area of 1/3 × 1 actus measured on the ground, we suggest that the whole block – measuring 4 × 2 actus – was regularly made up of 24 small building lots on the same surface. The excavation area at via Testoni in Bologna provides us with an interesting comparison. This new evidence improves previous reconstructions of Aquileia’s town planning as well as broadens research questions on town planning in Northern Italy’s coloniae Latinae during the early 2nd century BC.