- Devi Taelman (Postdoctoral Researcher FWO)

- Lieven Verdonck (Postdoctoral Researcher)
Department of Archaeology
Ghent University, Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 35, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium

Ammaia – a Roman town in Lusitania and its countryside revealed. An overview of the geoarchaeological and geophysical investigations.
Since 2001, a landscape study has investigated the territory of the Roman town Ammaia (Portugal), with special attention to the importance of natural resources for the development of the town. For this purpose, geoarchaeological research methods were applied by an interdisciplinary team of archaeologists, geologists and geomorphologists. Several Roman stone quarries were discovered, including the quarry that supplied the large building projects in the town. Near the town itself, the trace of the Roman town wall was determined, as well as the main water sources and the trace of the aqueducts. From 2009 onwards, non-destructive research methods (geomorphological and topographical studies, geophysical research, and aerial photographic methods) were applied to map the full urban development. The results of this non-destructive approach are complemented by, and tested against excavations, especially in the forum and bath areas, which continue until today. The intense prospection provided the most complete Roman city plan in the Iberian Peninsula, and led to a detailed 3D visualization of the early imperial phase of the settlement. This lecture will focus on the landscape study and the prospections carried out by Ghent University (Belgium), in collaboration with different European universities and industrial partners.

Responsable : Anca Dan