Building in the city. From archaeological markers to the historical reconstruction of the worksite. Some examples from medieval Rome

Abstract

The present paper considers the topic of building cities. This is certainly a well-studied topic, but also a complex one because different factors are involved with regard to the economic, social and political context, often characterized by the appearance of new main characters. This complexity can be analyzed in many manners, including the one of the archaeology of production and building activities. Starting from the considerable amount of data in the database created between 2013 and 2014 for the project “archeologia della produzione a Roma” (Archaeology of production activities in Rome), the topic will be discussed from a point of view considered particularly interesting: the study of archaeological markers in building materials, and therefore, the study of all those production processes involved in construction activities. The research will demonstrate how the analysis of physical markers of building activities can record important tracks on different aspects of building, aspects of extreme interest for understanding the city.