0000000000431492
AUTHOR
Rosa Torre
From βαλανεῖα to thermae: unveiling the transition from Greek to Roman architectural models of baths by technological and provenance archaeometric studies on bricks and tiles
So far unexplored, the introduction and the spread of the Roman thermal buildings in the prima provincia (Sicily) are widely debated in the current archeological studies. Mainly due to the lack of systematic excavations and intensively technological studies, the assessment of thermae in the Hellenistic-Roman Sicily has been thus far interpreted as a new social and architectural experience. However, a more careful archeological investigation would suggest a gradual transformation of the architectural landscape from the purely Greek bath tradition to the canonical thermae types. The aim of this paper is therefore to study the classical hot bath culture and, in particular, the transition from …
Il balaneion dell'agorà di Solunto
Ettore Gabrici, who first excavated the structure located in the northwest corner of Solunto’s agora in 1920-21, identified the remains as part of a thermal bath, despite missing some of the key elements which usually characterize this type of buildings (hypocaust, praefurnium, heating pipes). After the re-examination of the architectural elements, this paper suggests a different interpretation which takes into account archaeological evidences from the broader Mediterranean context (especially from Sicily and the Punic world). The results here presented could actively contribute to a better understanding of the hydraulic engineering in Sicily during the Hellenistic Period. As a matter of fa…
Rilievo integrato per la conoscenza e documentazione del complesso termale dell'area archeologica di Tindari (ME)
The aim of this study is to survey the Roman baths integrated in the so-called Insula IV of the archaeological area of Tindari (ME) for a better understanding of the site and for its enhancement. It is a structure that represents one of the oldest and best preserved thermal buildings with retrograde path in Sicily. Taking into account the typological, structural and decorative peculiarities that characterize the site, it was necessary to operate through integrated digital survey methods (laser scanning and SFM), obtaining a 3D model which describes the building in its entirety. The thermal building was inserted in the first century AD in a residential block dating back to the Hellenistic pe…