Villa del Casale Piazza Armerina (EN): New data related to geophysical investigations

Abstract

The Roman Villa at Piazza Armerina, which has been on the UNESCO list of sites since 1997, is an exceptional example of a prestigious residence from the Late Antiquity period.

Most of the area around the villa has not yet been explored and it is thought there are structures linked to the layout of the villa itself and subsequent modifications from the medieval era.

With these assumptions and to plan an excavations campaign in the area close to the villa's warehouses geophysical surveys were undertaken in the summer of 2022 and 2023.

Ground penetrating radar, magnetometry (in gradiometric configuration), and inductive electromagnetometry geophysical methods were used. These different methods were taken into consideration depending on the more or less conductive subsoil matrix. Results show the presence of several structures of archaeological interest.