Reconstruction of archaeological contexts through the integrated use of airborne LiDAR and geophysical survey: The case study of San Pietro Infine (Caserta, southern Italy)

Abstract

San Pietro Infine (Caserta, southern Italy) is an archaeological area of significant historical interest as it is in the vicinity of the Roman site of Ad Flexum. Based on historical sources, the site would correspond to the junction of a road axis that, during the Roman colonization (3rd century BCE), was crossed by the Via Latina. At the intersection of these two roads, which coexisted for a time, a post station was built, most likely later replaced by an early medieval village near the religious building of S. Pietro, of which only the apse portion is preserved. However, the archaeological evidence is too scarce to allow a reliable historical reconstruction of the site and to direct any excavation work. In this paper, we present the integration of LiDAR and geophysical surveys with the aim of advancing the archaeological interpretation of the San Pietro Infine site over the-state-of-the-art while providing a cutting-edge example in archaeological investigation. In particular, LiDAR data analysis was addressed to recognize and characterize topographic micro-reliefs presumably correlated to buried archaeological structures, while subsurface geophysical prospecting, consisting of magnetic and electromagnetic surveys, was aimed at defining their possible location and extent in depth, due to the expected contrasts in the magnetic and electric properties between the targets (e.g., limestone materials, paving roads) and the host geological setting (mainly marshy deposits). The integrated study allowed us to identify a structure whose characteristics (i.e., location, shape and nature) could well match the hypothesized Ad Flexum junction. In addition, LiDAR micro-reliefs and geophysical anomalies individuate structures that, by location and extent, suggest the presence of a village developed around the religious building of San Pietro.