ELAIUSSA SEBASTE: RELAZIONE SULLA CAMPAGNA DI SCAVO 2021

Abstract

Marcello Barbanera – Massimo Braini – Massimo Calosi – Roberto Civetta –
Jessica Clementi – Claudia Devoto – Annalisa Falcone – Matteo Lombardi –
Alessandro Taddei

This paper provides an overview of the data recorded on the recent excavation campaign at Elaiussa Sebaste
(2021), including the topographical survey carried out in advance of excavation, the reorganisation of the
archive and the traditional archaeological survey. A GIS has been developed to bring together the data that
has been generated over the course of the now twenty-year excavation mission, with the aim of making it
available to various types of users who can avail of increasing levels of detail depending on their needs. The
system also includes data from other surveys in the area, which over the course of the last year have made it
possible to identify traces of an occupation of the chora of Elaiussa, which is more complex than what had
previously been understood. In addition to this, restoration and conservation was carried out on a number
of artefacts and a risk map plan for Elaiussa was developed.
In order to ensure the long-term functionality of the Elaiussa archive, an attempt has been made to transfer
the data from a media format that had become obsolete to a more up-to-date, easily readable medium. This
means that for the first time it has been possible to establish a coherent classification system and adopt a single
terminology for each aspect of the excavation. The excavation of the area on the promontory (Torre-Faro),
close to the Piccola Basilica, is located on the northernmost edge of the promontory. In this area, the
whole sector behind the Torre-Faro has been thoroughly cleaned up, in order to prevent interruption to
access by visitors to the site. The excavation itself has uncovered part of the collapse of the Piccola Basilica
as well as a number of rooms connected to it by steps.
The participation of the Istituto Centrale per l’Archeologia (MiC) in the 2021 survey campaign at Elaiussa
Sebaste forms part of a broader collaboration between the ICA (Istituto Centrale per l’Archeologia) and
La Sapienza University of Rome. This paper will also outline how the site of Elaiussa Sebaste, which has
investigated by a scientific team from La Sapienza over the course of more than twenty years, represents a
particularly interesting pilot case to test this collaboration.
Over the years, the area of the Basilica of the Great Baths at Elaiussa Sebaste has been the focus of numerous
excavation campaigns that have gradually brought to light its complex architectural stratification, which is
the result of a continuity of use that had its two high points during the Roman phase of the Great Baths and
the Byzantine phase when it was transformed into the large complex of the Basilica.
The Basilica delle Grandi Terme has been fully brought to light over a decade of systematic excavation. The
preliminary investigations carried out by Chiara Morselli were followed by regular excavation campaigns
between 2011 and 2019 coordinated by Ambra Naspi and Marco Conti. A final campaign season, in August
and September of 2021, saw the complete uncovering of the south-eastern corner of the ecclesiastical building,
and was curated by Matteo Lombardi. This contribution provides an overview of the initial interpretations
in light of the conclusion of the excavation of the building.