ALTINO, A MEETING POINT BETWEEN THE RIVERS AND THE LAGOON: MATERIALS AND BUILDING TECHNIQUES OF A CITY BUILT ON WATER

Abstract

Altino, located at the edge of Po valley and on the northern margin of the Venetian lagoon, was an important Venetic settlement since 8th century B.C. The town, already a marketplace, from the 2nd century B.C., became an important port during the Roman time. From the 6th and 7th centuries, the area of Altino was starting to be abandoned. From a literature review focused on the city of Altino, it is possible to realize the lack of studies focused on the architectural aspects of the buildings. Due to the residual structural evidence belonging to the buildings, founded often at a foundation or under foundation level, these haven’t been studied from an architectural technique point of view. Although the impossibility of direct observation of the data, the pictures of the excavation together with the excavation descriptions make it possible. How deep was the knowledge of the constructors about the characteristics of their environment? How they solved the problem of the marsh area where Altino was settled? The particular geomorphological context where the city of Altino was funded made the roman constructors take crucial decisions as to resettle the prior urban center, excavating channels to reclaim the land. This implied the constructions of roads, Annia and Claudia Augusta, enclosed by artificial canals, those departed from the city to reach the other main centers of the region, as Padova, Concordia, Oderzo, and Aquileia. The characteristics of the soil imposed the use of the “under-foundation” which involved preparation of the soil to make it adequate to construct a building on it without any risk of collapsing. The material used to set the soil is stilts, horizontal planks, hydraulic reclaim with amphora, levels of gravel and clay. The study of the material used for the construction, both stone or other type (wood, gravel,..), and of the building techniques, that hide the knowledge and the expertise of the workers, let us understand the capacity of the artisans and the relationship between the resources of the territory itself. Altino well summarised an example of a mixture between the cognition of the environment owned by the local population and the technology capability owned by Romans, who could adapt to settle and construct in any geomorphological context.