Indagini aerotopografiche e prospezioni geofisiche per la conoscenza dell'area urbana di Vulci

The ancient city of Vulci, one of the Dodecapolis (‘Twelve Cities’) in Etruria, has over the last twenty years been the subject of the creation of an archaeological map, produced following the traditions of Ancient Topography. This has led to a detailed plan of the urban area through a study of the historical aerial photographs. The research has reconstructed the urban plan which was organised in regular areas, although not orthogonal, with an orientation that adapted to the morphology of the plateau. Drawing upon this new cartography, an excavation was conducted which led to the discovery of a temple to the east of the acropolis and the so-called Foro Orientale, confirming the aerial photo interpretation. There has also been an accompanying growth in geophysical prospection at the site, which given its accessibility and support from the local authorities, has led to trials of different techniques. Since 2019 the British School at Rome, as part of the Understanding Urban Identities project led by the University of Gothenburg, has undertaken several surveys at Vulci, concentrating on the eastern area of the plateau and outside the West Gate. The results derived from a Ground-Penetrating Radar survey provide a detailed plan of the urban area to the north of the Decumanus maximus, indicating an area of dense urban settlement. This paper draws together the results from the aerial photography study and the geophysical prospection, assessing areas of agreement and discrepancy between the datasets.