Urban archaeology and digital applications: the Amba Aradam station of the underground line C in Rome

This paper presents digital applications used in the urban archaeology project related to the construction of the underground line C in Rome (2015-2018). This great excavation has made it possible to study and relate the urban topography of the ancient Rome with the urban fabric of the current city. The archaeological investigations were carried out in an area of about 3000 square meters resulting in an exceptional discovery, from a depth of 9 m., of part of a military complex dating from the first half of the second century A.D. The enormous extension of the excavation area has required to integrate the archaeological excavation process with the workplan of the underground station. Rethinking the steps of excavation and restoration and as well adapting the standards of documentation and computer management of archaeological record have been considered. This methodological reflection involved all the activities carried out, from the archaeological excavation to the documentation, restoration and the creation of reconstructive hypotheses and led to the development of ad hoc methodology that can also be reused in other contexts. Through the adoption of 3D technologies and the Extended Matrix (EM) approach, analysis, synthesis and reconstruction hypotheses were facilitated. Not only the physical remains but also the sources involved within the reconstructive process were semantically recorded in a GraphDB. The EM has facilitated, during the project, the dialogue among specialists whose collect or interpret the archaeological data, develop virtual reconstructive hypotheses, or deal with exploitation and dissemination.