Composition and Shape of Hadrianic Domes

In-depth studies on the design of the domes of the Octagonal Hall of the Small Baths and the Vestibule of the Golden Court at Hadrian’s Villa in Tivoli have been conducted starting from 3D surveys carried out with active and passive sensors. Through the comparison of the ichnographia and orthographia of these emblematic examples of architectural experimentation, common elements and features have emerged which, thanks to the integrated use of new measurement technologies, have allowed us to hypothesise dimensioning systems of the vertical structures together with possible criteria for defining the intrados–extrados relationship. Hadrian’s architects’ use of precise grid-based designs to facilitate the achievement of target quantities (required areas and volumes) as well as modules aimed at defining alignments of horizontal and vertical structures emerge clearly, providing useful elements for an integrated reading of the individual buildings to support the archaeological investigation.

FROM THE GENERAL DOCUMENTATION OF HADRIAN'S VILLA TO DESIGN ANALYSIS OF COMPLEX CUPOLAS: A PROCEDURAL APPROACH

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> The paper illustrates the progress of Hadrian's Villa digital documentation with special emphasis on a series of modelling issues emerged while studying vaults and cupolas of the site. Together with the more general problem of giving scientific coherence to both active and passive sensor outputs – systematically gathered from 2013 – a methodological problem concerning data interpretation of complex <i>opus caementicium</i> vaults have become dramatically important for the interdisciplinary research team. A methodology for improving the understanding the original shapes of Hadrianic cupolas was designed to provide scholars and professionals operating at the Villa with reliable and easy to use outputs, for interpretation, restoration, maintenance practice. Sensors integration played a fundamental role since allowed researchers a global understanding of intrados and extrados surfaces using reverse modelling applications. Features and 2D primitives extracted from high-resolution models were analysed in order to create flexible procedural models of reconstruction hypothesis/completion of cupolas. Due to the very nature of these shapes (apparently irregular), but with a solid geometric conception, we applied the last achievements of Catmull-Clark bicubic surfaces in combination with Visual Programming Language (VPL).</p>

Reconstruction of a Segment of the UNESCO World Heritage Hadrian’s Villa Tunnel Network by Integrated GPR, Magnetic–Paleomagnetic, and Electric Resistivity Prospections

Hadrian’s Villa is an ancient Roman archaeological site built over an ignimbritic tuff and characterized by abundant iron oxides, strong remnant magnetization, and elevated magnetic susceptibility. These properties account for the high-amplitude magnetic anomalies observed in this site and were used as a primary tool to detect deep archaeological features consisting of air-filled and soil-filled cavities of the tuff. An integrated magnetic, paleomagnetic, radar, and electric resistivity survey was performed in the Plutonium-Inferi sector of Hadrian’s Villa to outline a segment of the underground system of tunnels that link different zones of the villa. A preliminary paleomagnetic analysis of the bedrock unit and a high-resolution topographic survey by aerial photogrammetry allowed us to perform a computer-assisted modelling of the observed magnetic anomalies, with respect to the archaeological sources. The intrinsic ambiguity of this procedure was reduced through the analysis of ground penetrating radar and electric resistivity profiles, while a comprehensive picture of the buried archaeological features was built by integration of the magnetization model with radar amplitude maps. The final subsurface model of the Plutonium-Inferi complex shows that the observed anomalies are mostly due to the presence of tunnels, skylights, and a system of ditches excavated in the tuff.

Conclusions

Chapter 7 synthesizes the major conclusions of the book. As an examination of the Egyptian themes at Hadrian’s villa in Tivoli demonstrates, these conclusions are significant not only for Pompeii in 79 CE but also for Roman visual culture more broadly. Issues considered include the use of household material culture to literally “domesticate” ideologies of empire; the relationship between “Egyptianizing” and “Classicizing” forms of Roman art; a comparison of display strategies in “elite” and “non-elite” houses; the relationship between religious identity and material culture; conceptions of order versus chaos in Roman gardens; and the agency of domestic material culture in shaping everyday practices and experiences. The garden assemblages in this book present the Pompeian house not only as a microcosm of empire but also as a workshop where individuals could work out through practice what it actually meant to live in a changing, profoundly interconnected, and increasingly interdependent world.

The Maritime Theatre at Hadrian's Villa and Its Decoration

Maritime Theatre is one of the most iconic buildings of Hadrian's Villa (UNESCO site since 1999). This circular-shaped “domus” is characterized by one of the most obvious aspects of Hadrianic architectural production, namely the alternation of curved and straight lines applied to designing both plans and elevations. Mixtilinear features caught the interest of architects from the Renaissance to present day, becoming inspiration as well as a sort of “quarry” for noble families and antiquarians. Complex entablatures designed by Hadrian's architects have been systematically removed and reused starting from Middle Ages with the consequence of having several fragments scattered in private and public collections all over Europe. Through a systematic digital survey of remaining structures as well as of removed elements, a 3D analytical model was exploited in order to include all the “digitally gathered” elements and for deepening the knowledge of this emblematic mixtilinear architecture.