2003 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
General Studies on the City Walls in Ancient Italy
| Project/Area Number |
13610465
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
History of Europe and America
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| Research Institution | Paleological Association of Japan, Inc. |
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Principal Investigator |
SAKAI Satoshi Paleological Association of Japan, Inc., Japan Insitute of Paleological Studies, Assistant Professor, 古代学研究所, 助教授 (20215586)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
ASAKA Tadashi Paleological Association of Japan, Inc., Japan Insitute of Paleological Studies, Professor, 古代学研究所, 教授 (70066059)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2001 – 2003
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| Keywords | Ancient Italy / Pompeii / Walls in Pappamonte / Ortho-standing walls / Walls in Opus Quadratum / Defensive Tower / Hypothetical gate of Porta Capua |
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| Research Abstract |
This study deals with the ancient city walls in Italy, and in particular the Pompeian fortification is mainly discussed as the representative example. From the research on the basis of the data obtained by the excavation carried out our team, the following points have been obtained to controvert the widely accepted view in this respect :
1.As for the walls using the tufaceous stone called Pappamonte, they can be dated in the sixth century B.C, as generally accepted. However, because of the weakness in construction, this city walls could be hardly consistent as a fortification.
2.The next stage of the city walls in Pompei was the construction of the so-called the ortho-standing walls of limestone. Generally it has been supposed to be constructed at latest to the early fifth century B.C. However, our study on the excavated materials may reduce the construction period to the late fourth century B.C.
3.The present city walls in Opus Quadratum was constructed in two phases: the older was of th
… More
e walls of limestone and the newer was of the tuff. Generally it has been asserted that a significant time difference laid between these two phases. We proposed the hypothesis that the deference was minimum because of the incompleteness of the walls of limestone as a fortification.
4.The final modification pf the Pompeian city walls took place to the early first century B.C, by adjoining the defensive towers on the walls. The Ninth Tower that was brought to the light by our excavation was reconstructed in the later period. Hence the construction of city walls in Pompeii went continuously forward also in the Roman Period, in contrary to the generally accepted views.
5.Around the Ninth Tower, hypothetically a city gate called Porta Capua has been located. However our excavation could finally neglect the existence of this gate. A series of researches on the 19^<th> century's documentation clarified the context of the misunderstanding on the existence of this city gate.
A part of these achievements was reported in the occasion of an international congress held in November 2002 at Rome. Less
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