Valeria BOI /Federica LA MONACA / Milena STACCA
(Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni archeologicii, Rome, Italy)

Abstract:
The basis for our test is formed by the solid conceptual and technical foundation provided by the S.I.T.A.R. project, carried out by the Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Roma (Serlorenzi and De Tommasi are offering a paper on the project in this venue).
The investigations carried out by public offices as well as by private companies (including both non-destructive and destructive geophysical surveys, preventive excavations, planned investigations, etc.) that are archived in the S.I.T.A.R. databank produce huge amounts of elevation data with variable precision. These data consist of spot elevations derived from total station and GPS readings, and destructive geophysical investigations. Once verified, this elevation information leads to the gradual creation of an increasingly detailed reconstruction of the subsoil.
The integration of this data with those gathered from cartographic vector bases, as well as data from historical maps, multi-temporal satellite images, Digital Elevation/Terrain Models, and preexisting geological and geomorphological research makes the system a fundamental source for the detailed diachronic reconstruction of the morphology of the territory.
The multi-layered city of Rome is the perfect candidate for a historical and topographical analysis of settlement development in different time periods, both because of the density and complexity of its settlement layout, and because its expansion hastened the natural phenomena of erosion and filling.
The poster, hence analyses the Esquiline neighborhood which currently retains the urban layout that was in place after Rome was declared the capital of Italy. This layout significantly altered the original morphology of the hill, which was originally characterized by variations in elevation. Because of this, the Esquiline is an ideal case with which to test the potential of this type of analysis.
The above-mentioned analysis can be further refined and then applied not only to Rome, but also to other geo-archaeological contexts with multiple strata.

Keywords:
GIS, height data, Urban Archaeology and town plannig, DEM