Detection of archaeological structure on the slope ground using geophysical methods: The case of the Castle of Canossa

Canossa Castle is located in the municipality of Canossa 18 km South of Reggio Emilia (North Italy). It was constructed in 940 by Adalberto Atto, son of Sigifredo of Lucca. Lombard chieftains needed this strategic hill to defend their lands against intrusions of other barbarian tribes. Subsequent improvements made the stronghold one of the best-defended castles in the country. Canossa Castle became particularly famous as a site of reconciliation between King Henry IV and Roman Pope Gregory VII during the Investiture Controversy in 1077.

To redevelop the area and create an easy tourist route, the Superintendence of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the Metropolitan City of Bologna and the Provinces of Modena, Reggio Emilia and Ferrara planned excavations in the area close to the Castle. To get precise information on where to carry out excavations geophysical surveys were undertaken in the spring of 2021. The castle stands on a rock with a steep slope and dense vegetation and this makes it very difficult to carry out geophysical prospecting. This guided the choice of geophysical methodologies to be used. For this reason, electrical resistivity tomography was used along the steep slope, while in the narrow flatter area, the ground penetrating radar methodology was used. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the chosen geophysical methodologies.