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An ancient stone arch in a natural setting next to an architectural plan with a hand pointing with a pencil.
An entire Roman city detected underground without excavating or damaging the site | Camara La Derecha Diario
ARGENTINA

They discover a complete Roman city without excavation using state-of-the-art radar

A ground-penetrating radar allowed mapping of Falerii Novi without breaking the ground

by

Editorial Team

Falerii Novi, located 50 km from Rome, was revealed without removing soil thanks to a state-of-the-art radar.

The discovery was possible because the city has no modern constructions on top. The technology used allows exploration without damaging the site.

An ancient stone arch on a path surrounded by vegetation and a partly cloudy sky.
The discovery was possible because the city doesn't have modern constructions on top | La Derecha Diario

How did they manage to see an entire city without excavating?

Archaeologists from the universities of Cambridge and Ghent managed to map in detail a Roman city buried for centuries without making a single excavation.

They used a ground-penetrating radar (GPR) that detects structures beneath the ground. This method could transform the way ancient sites are studied.

Where is Falerii Novi and why is it so special?

The city was built in 241 BC in the Tiber River valley. It was about 50 km north of Rome.

Aerial image of an archaeological site showing the layout of ancient structures such as temples, a theater, a market, baths, houses with atriums, shops, and a monument, with a scale map at the bottom.
Where is Falerii Novi located and why is it so special? | La Derecha Diario

Unlike other archaeological sites, Falerii Novi was not covered by modern buildings. This made it an ideal place to test this technology without excavations.

The key: a radar that "sees" underground

The GPR works by sending radio waves that bounce when they hit buried objects. By analyzing those bounces, it is possible to know what is below and at what depth it is.

A man standing in a field next to an off-road vehicle modified with specialized equipment and a trailer with yellow wheels, with trees and a stone structure in the background.
The GPR radar works by sending radio waves that bounce back when they hit buried objects | La Derecha Diario

In this case, the radar was mounted on a quad that covered more than 30 hectares. Measurements were taken every 12.5 cm, achieving unprecedented resolution.

High resolution, without breaking the ground

According to Martin Millett from the University of Cambridge, this version of the GPR allows for very detailed images. "Many readings can be taken very closely together," he explained.

This opens the door to studying entire cities without the need to excavate.

A man with glasses and a vest points to a large architectural plan with a red pen.
This version of the GPR allows obtaining very detailed images | La Derecha Diario

What did they find underground?

Thanks to this technique, researchers precisely reconstructed the layout of the city and detected surprising structures:

  • Public baths with a pool and network of pipes.
  • A Roman market.
  • A temple and a commemorative monument with columns, called porticus duplex.
  • Layers of soil showing the urban evolution of the city.
  • Buildings with non-uniform designs, unlike other Roman cities like Pompeii.

They also discovered that materials from the constructions were reused in later periods, possibly after its abandonment.

➡️ Argentina

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