Abstract
Throughout history, natural hazards, wars, political changes and urban evolution have contributed to the obliteration of outstanding monuments. The study of their remains, frequently recovered as archaeological findings, can be the basis for a reconstruction of the lost structures, by way of their size, function, decoration and stylistic evolution. The present study developed a multidisciplinary approach to gather and interpret archaeological fragments and archive sources, in order to gain as much information as possible on “lost monuments”. The approach was tested with remnants (i.e., several hundreds of marble fragments found during archaeological excavations) of the monastic complex of San Francesco di Castelletto (Genoa), which was demolished after the Napoleonic suppressions. A preliminary organisation of the sample set was attained through cataloguing shape, size, and decoration. After this, a comparison with similar complexes still existing in Genoa allowed the inference of the age and specific ornamental functions for the majority of the pieces. Surface analysis, carried out in situ (portable microscope) and on micro-samples (petrographic analysis and SEM-EDS), allowed the characterisation of the materials (e.g., assessing marble provenance and identifying pigments). As a whole, the method evolved into an operational protocol, which helped both the organisation of the archaeological findings and the reconstruction of unknown phases of the lost monument.
Highlights
In the Middle Ages, the town of Genoa excelled in maritime trade across Europe, the ByzantiumEmpire, the Muslim world and the Far East [1]
Since the urban area was built on a hill slope, new construction usually needed to be founded on embankments to amend the acclivity; in parallel, the demolition materials from the previous buildings were employed as filling and preserved in sealed archaeological layers
The data collected in the catalogue sheets were compared and analysed in order to obtain statistics referring to the relative abundance of pieces from the Middle Ages and their main features (Figure 2)
Summary
In the Middle Ages, the town of Genoa excelled in maritime trade across Europe, the Byzantium. The Muslim world and the Far East [1]. Commerce allowed the town to grow and thrive, and each of the noble families erected palaces, churches and monastic complexes to demonstrate their power and wealth. The ramparts erected during the XI century forced the town to grow in a limited area, causing the replacement of antique buildings with new constructions over the centuries. Since the urban area was built on a hill slope, new construction usually needed to be founded on embankments to amend the acclivity; in parallel, the demolition materials from the previous buildings were employed as filling and preserved in sealed archaeological layers. Many pieces that are representative of how Genoa appeared during the Middle
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