Il Progetto Ugento Messapian City Walls: tra ricostruzione storica, archeologia pubblica e pianificazione consapevole

The paper presents the results of recent excavations on the Messapian circuit walls of Ugento, carried out by the Archaeo logical Mapping Laboratory (ArchMapLab) of the ISPC-CNR within the PNRR CHANGES project. Stratigraphic investiga tions in the Armino locality (southeastern corner) and the Cupa locality (southwestern side), supported by geophysical surveys, have allowed for the identification of multiple construction phases, the reconstruction of building techniques, and the dating of the fortifications to the mid4th century BC, with their final use connected to the Roman siege during the Second Punic War. The study also underlines the relationship among the walls, the surrounding calcarenite quarries, and the urban and rural organisation of the territory. Battlefield layers outside the walls at Cupa – containing sling bullets and projectile points – provide direct material evidence of the Roman assault on Ugento after its alliance with Hannibal. From an institutional point of view, the paper shows how preventive and public archaeology practices in Ugento, developed in collaboration with SABAP BR-LE-TA and the Municipality of Ugento, have turned the excavation sites into spaces of participation, education, and local identity. The ongoing planning of the “Urban Park of the Messapian Walls”, centred on the Via Tasso section and including Cupa, Armino, and Vincenza/Aia, reflects a model of heritage-driven urban develop ment, where archaeological data become tools for sustainable planning rather than mere constraints.