La villa A di Dragoncello (Acilia) : la ripresa degli scavi

Archaeological research on Villa A from Dragoncello (Acilia) was carried out in two campaignes, in 2016 and 2017. The area lies between the sea, the Tiber and Ostia and is of great interest. In the Roman period, it was residential, populated by aristocratic villas and rural settlements. The recent research is the continuation of excavations in the area begun by the Soprintendenza in the 1980s. The two campaigns offered an important opportunity to review the data from the sites and the materials of Dragoncello, and have resulted in new insights into the area’s redevelopment. During the 2016 campaign, excavations were carried out on the villa’s peristyle, in the northwest sector (A) and, simultaneously, at the southern edge (B). In Sector A, wall structures of various types were identified. These can be attributed to five different rooms (V, W, X, Y, Z), and at least four moments in life (from the end of the 2nd century B.C. to the beginning of the 3rd century A.D.). The 2017 expedition concentrated on structures located north of the peristyle. Inside rooms X, Y and T, a necropolis came to light, consisting of five tombs. At the same time, room V was excavated. Here a wide, rectangular structure was discovered, one that is very interesting: it is subdivided into small cells, arranged in rows of twelve along the two longer sides.