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This article focuses on the question how Cicero is able to legitimize the use of the seaside resort Baiae and its negative associations in order to create and widen the moral contradiction between Caelius and Clodia in his Pro Caelio. It claims that Cicero treats the accusations about Baiae in different ways in relation to Clodia and Caelius to create a double standard for two people who are being accused of the same thing. By elaborating different levels of attention, a twofold use of the word Baiae and an emphasis on the frequency and publicity of visits to the place, Cicero manages to legitimize this double standard and thereby broadens the gap between Caelius and Clodia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Archaeological Park of Terme di Baia preserves an important nucleus of opus sectile floors, concentrated in the upper sector of the Villa della Sosandra. They remain mostly in the form of footprints, often lacking the original coating. In the course of some recent work carried out by the Parco archeologico dei Campi Flegrei, some new, unpublished examples ones have emerged, in particular at the so-called Terme Ipogee, dug entirely in the natural bank to take advantage of the thermal vapors that once emerged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the late antique phase of a small group of buildings in the archaeological area of the Roman baths of Baiae: a xystus and a luxurious richly decorated residential pavilion located right above the highest level of the so-called Villa of Sosandra. This sector does not appear in the graphic documentation of the site and a large part remains still unknown. However, these buildings are of great interest to better understand one of the most important areas of the Sella di Baia Hill, still little known and difficult to describe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research is focused on one of the most ancient domes of large rise and span built in opus caementicium: the dome of the temple of Diana in Baiae. The main purpose of this paper is to prove that the geometric meridian profile adopted by the Romans for the dome is different from the polycentric profile proposed by Rakob in 1988, which presents some inconsistencies as regards the position of the centres of the upper arcs and the presumed presence of a cusp at the top, not visible at the extrados. To the aim of the research thesis, a recent architectonical survey has been performed and a methodology based on a multi-disciplinary approach has been adopted by critically examining significant aspects related to both the geometry and structural behaviour of the dome: the appropriate choice of the meridian geometric profile, related to historical context, suggestions received from Sassanid constructive traditions and geometric knowledge at the time the dome was built; the Romans' intuitive and experimentally based understanding of the influence that geometry could have on the mechanical behaviour of a given dome's profile; and, finally, the adoption of a very small thickness allowed by the opus caementicium constructive techniques, so that the dome can be considered as a first unaware anticipation of the modern membrane theory for thin domes. Results of the architectonic surveys performed up to now, by Rakob in 1988 and recently in 2017, are discussed. Then, after a theoretical investigation on possible profiles of the upper calotte, either circular or parabolic, a statistical regression is undertaken in order to compare theoretical and experimental data of both the surveys. Important considerations on the actual dome springing, and the demonstrated absence of any cuspidal shape at the dome's key, confirm the Authors' thesis: the meridian profile is well described by a parabola — the best approximation of a catenary —, which immerses itself in the tambour and continues to be fully contained in it as far as the dome springing. Moreover, mechanical analyses on the structural efficiency of both the polycentric profile proposed by Rakob and the parabolic one thus identified are performed. The analysis confirms that the dome could have been built without the aid of global centring, by demonstrating that the Romans were experimentally aware of the dome's mechanical behaviour in relation to the various construction phases and the consequent solutions adopted. Finally, the stability of both the overall and partially collapsed structure is examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the activities planned for the MUSAS Project, the digital reconstruction of the underwater sites constitutes a particular challenge, requiring strong cooperation between archaeologists and technicians. The case of the Villa dei Pisoni in Baiae, one of the richest in the Phlaegrean territory, is particularly interesting: the architectural remains, already documented in the 1980s and now inserted in one of the diving spots of the Underwater Park of Baiae, are disseminated on a huge surface, including quays, thermal complexes, a fishpond, and a large, luxurious viridarium. The effort required for the digital reconstruction of the ancient villa improved the previous knowledge and the lack of documentation even in a well-known site. In this paper, we will retrace the long path from the 3D reconstruction of the archaeological remains to the virtual architectural model of the villa, the numerous challenges, doubts, and uncertainties in the creation of the original spaces, and the support offered by the ancient sources, both literary and iconographic, in solving archaeological problems.

Since Antiquity, seaside resorts have figured among the most popular sites of leisure and tourism on the European continent. In many ways these sites clearly expressed and supported converging trends in European culture and society. Spa resorts brought together visitors from a range of nationalities in a shared culture of health, pleasure and recreation. This contribution aims to explore how the Mediterranean spa resort of Baiae in the Bay of Naples functioned as a significant cultural setting where visitors and local actors shaped, experienced, discussed and shared cultural values in a changing world throughout the ages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research involves the study of the bioerosion on mosaic fragments recovered from the Underwater Archaeological Park of Baiae (Naples, Italy) caused by the boring sipunculans (Protostomia) and represents the first report of damage by Aspidosiphon muelleri Diesing 1851 on submerged Cultural Heritage. The present study defines the role of this organism in the deterioration of archaeological artefacts. The characteristic traces produced by the action of these organisms on stone materials are described. A set of criteria was established to distinguish the traces of these organisms from those produced by Polychaetes and Clionaid sponges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Submerged stone archaeological artefacts are bioeroded by endolithic microbiota (cyanobacteria, algae and fungi) and macroborers (Porifera, Bivalvia and Sipuncula). Optical microscope and SEM observations permit to analyse the bioerosion traces and to identify bioeroders. Data obtained with these techniques cannot be used to estimate volumes of material bioeroded. This aspect require the need to collect three-dimensional, close-range data from artefact. In this work we illustrate two 3D imaging techniques used to study bioerosion phenomena of underwater Cultural Heritage. In particular Digital Video Microscope permit the elaboration of 3D images, which are widely employed for close-range acquisitions. Underwater Laser Scanner documents the in situ degradation of submerged artefacts. This research aims to sensitize specialist figures in the study 3D offering a starting point for future collaborations that could lead to interesting results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2011 the ISCR (Rome), in the frame of the Project Restoring Underwater directed by Barbara Davidde Petriaggi, started to test Naumacos Laser Scann 1, designed by Gabriele Gomez de Ayala, in order to document the restoration of a room paved with opus sectile probably part of the Bath of Punta Epitaffio (Underwater Park of Baiae - Marine Protected Area, Naples). The experimentation conducted in Baiae by ISCR has shown the effectiveness of the Laser Scanner; this method also allowed to considerably reduce times and costs of underwater surveying. Moreover, the 3D relief obtained, has the characteristic of being geometrically (accuracy is sub-millimetric) and chromatically faithful to the reconstructed structure, as well as being exportable in various forms and usable in several contexts. From 2011 to 2013 the evolution of the instrument Naumacos Laser Scanner 3 was developed and tested in the restoration work of the Villa con ingresso a protiro, where three structures were documented in 3D (a paved with black and white mosaic decorated with hexagons and peltae, a very fragmentary black and white mosaic and a stone artefact. This paper shows the results of this documentation campaign and it underlines the prominent role in documentation and in museum display of Underwater Cultural Heritage played by the three-dimensional laser scanning survey. This technique also contributes to the increase of the value of scientific dissemination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The project 'Restoring Underwater' launched and conducted by the Underwater Archaeology Operations Unit of the Istituto Superiore per la Conservazione ed il Restauro (ISCR, Rome, Italy) is aimed at the study and the experimentation of instruments, materials, methodologies, and techniques for the restoration, conservation, and in situ display of ancient submerged artefacts. The project commenced in 2001 with the restoration of the vivaria of the Roman villa of Torre Astura (Nettuno, Rome), since 2003 the main subject of researches has been the submerged archaeological site of Baiae (Naples, Italy), where, over the years, the restoration of sectors of certain buildings in the protected marine area has been carried out: the Villa con ingresso a Protiro, the Villa dei Pisoni, the Via Herculanea, and the Building with porticoed courtyard near Portus Iulius. In 2007, in 2009, and in 2010 three new archaeological targets have been added to the research: a group of nine cast iron cannons discovered offshore the coast of the Marettimo Island (Sicily, Italy), the Roman wreck carrying a load of sarcophagi discovered off the coast of San Pietro in Bevagna (Taranto, Italy), and the traditional fishing boat recently discovered off the cost of Martana Island (Bolsena Lake, Italy). The purpose of this paper is to sum up the work in progress and the results of these ten years of the project. The paper will shows as the conservation and museum display in situ of underwater heritage must not just be considered an opportune choice but may in itself provide a strong stimulus for experimenting new materials and technologies as well as representing a factor in the socio-economic development of the communities concerned, as shown by the example of Baiae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]