Ways To Urban Landscape Archaeology
Ways To Urban Landscape Archaeology
Archaeology
ƒig 1. Remains of the Via Tiburtina at      This interdisciplinary research project            (transhumance) over large geographical areas
Settecamini squeezed in between modern      started already in 2003 during informal            in a long term perspective. Hans Bjur on
dwellings, the busy new road, and an in-
creasing number of new building projects.   meetings at the Swedish Institute in Rome          the other hand, professor in Urban Design
Photo: H.Bjur.                              discussing landscapes in general and the           and Planning, had since a decade devoted
                                            transformations of the Roman urban                 himself to contemporary development
                                            landscape in particular. Our views on the          tendencies in the peripheries of major cities,
                                            matter originated in disciplines with different    the heterogeneous, super-modern urban
                                            perspectives. Barbro Santillo Frizell, professor   landscapes. We thought that these different
                                            in Classical Archaeology and Ancient History,      points of views combined with the common
                                            had long experience of landscape archaeology       interest in landscape could be interesting to
                                            in Greece and Italy, and especially of how         explore in a project. When we started, one
                                            space and artefacts were interrelated by the       specific goal was that the result should lead to
                                            movement of herds of domesticated animals          identification of central issues within a new
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                     Hans Bjur & Barbro Santillo Frizell	
                                               multi-disciplinary subject, which tentatively      unique way the basic research problem, viz.
                                               was called urban landscape archaeology. The idea   the complex relations between old and new
                                               was, on the one hand, to indicate the interface    and the transformation of the surrounding
                                               between archaeology and urban design and           landscapes by movement, urbanization and
                                               planning, and on the other to stress the urban     amalgamation with artefacts during millennia.
                                               landscape as object of both archaeological         Moreover, in Rome the contemporary
                                               and urban research. This approach led both         problem of sustainable urban development
                                               of us to unexplored fields, where questions        has an interesting complexity and is given
                                               and answers were not at all self-evident. In       an advanced treatment in recent planning
                                               traditional landscape archaeology, artefacts       practice as well. Rome’s development has also
                                               are related to structures primarily of their own   for a long time been subject to an extensive
                                               time period and context; while in our concept      research in several academic disciplines and
                                               of urban landscape archaeology, artefacts of all   from many different aspects. There thus
                                               time periods should be related to the present      existed an unusually rich empirical material
                                               landscape. One could say that the great            to develop, elaborate and synthezise.
                                               difference seemed to be lying in the relative      	     The leading idea was to tackle Rome
                                               position of the spaces and artefacts in relation   as a palimpsest.* We have adopted the
                                               to time. The time depth in connection with the     concept, on the one hand in order to read
                                               present lends relevance and distinction to the     the hidden layers per se and to discuss their
                                               subject. As our fields of study are concerned      contexts, and on the other hand to reflect
                                               with man’s relations to the environment (in        upon their meaning in sequential urban
                                               the wide sense), with spatial dimensions and       layers. We wanted to look upon the urbanism
                                               long time perspectives, we gradually found the     as being composed of different more or less
                                               mutual points of departure and the focus of        distinct layers originated in different times of
                                               this research project: Space, Movement and         development or decline. Our main concern
                                               Artefacts in the Urban Landscape. As a case        was whether and how these built survivals
                                               study we chose Via Tiburtina.                      from varying time and space interact. When
                                               	     Why Via Tiburtina? The old road, which       applying the concept of palimpsest on the
                                               connects the commercial centres of Rome,           context of urbanism, we look upon it as if all
                                               Forum Romanum and Forum Boarium                    texts are present and readable simultaneously
* The original meaning of the word pal-        (as we see it) with Tivoli (ancient Tibur),        so to speak. A kind of double exposure of
impsest is used for a text written on parch-   represents a long history of complex relations     settlements, spaces of movement, city plans
ment which has been reused one or more         between centre and periphery, and the urban        and architecture is what we were driving at, an
times after the original writing has been      spaces and the landscape surrounding the           anachronistic simultaneousness in the urban
scraped or rubbed away. The parchment
therefore contains several layers of text      thoroughfare have a long history leading all       space. However, our focus was not just on the
which are more or less visible. Within the     the way up to the present urban development        appearance of the physical construct of the
field of landscape studies the concept has     plans. In previous studies we had both, from       urban landscape, but also on the intangible
been used to describe situations which         different points of views, identified the Via      underlying spatial systems of space, movement
contain layers with sites and artefacts
from several different periods, so called      Tiburtina as a field of interest.                  and artefacts.
palimpsest landscapes. For a theoretical       	     Having Rome and an already working           	     An interdisciplinary discourse thus
development of the concept of palimpsest,      interdisciplinary research milieu at the           initiated this project, and developing this
see G. Bailey “Time perspectives, palimps-     Swedish Institute as the basis for our research    approach has ever since been an essential goal.
ests and the archaeology of time.” Journal
of Anthropological Archaeology 26 (2007)       project was a great advantage. Rome’s several      The means to achieve this integration process
198-223.                                       thousands years of urbanism illustrate in a        have first of all been regular seminaries,
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Hans Bjur & Barbro Santillo Frizell	
                      colloquia, excursions and workshops linked        to various resources in the Rome region and
                      to the project’s objects of study: Rome and the   connections between the Apennines and The
                      Via Tiburtina. The recurring planned meetings     Mediterranean Sea. The second concerns the
                      – where ideas, theories, and discourses           movement system of which Via Tiburtina
                      founded in the scientific field of urbanism       makes a part, and the activities and nodes,
                      have encountered those of archaeology,            which generates movement on the road. The
                      where contemporary interpretations of             next two parts deals with the (re)organization
                      urban landscapes were united to historical        of space and contemporary planning, and
                      perspectives, and where present-day social        thus in the main with future. The perspective
                      planning was brought into a dialogue with         is necessarily widened and includes Rome’s
                      the humanities and social sciences – have         development strategies as a whole. The
                      constituted the basic organizational form to      concluding part gives an account of the present
                      achieve the scientific aim. When synthesizing     models for integrating artefacts and cultural
                      our research by this publication a fairly wide    heritage into urban design and sustainable
                      range of academic fields is represented in the    development. The author emphasizes two
                      research process: archaeology and ancient         conditions in Rome’s contemporary heritage
                      history, architecture and art history, urban      management, which lends relevance to the
                      design and planning, landscape architecture,      aims and possible outcomes of this research
                      integrated conservation and cultural heritage     project: firstly, the great importance attached
                      management. In order to bring about a real        to the dialogue between architecture, urban
                      integration of subjects we therefore decided      design and archaeology, and secondly, the
                      to complement the anthology’s individual          stress laid on interdisciplinary approaches as
                      texts with “joint papers”, where researchers      means of attaining nuanced and qualitative
                      in different scientific areas were jointly        overall solutions. 	
                      responsible for the choice of theme and           	     Movement is fundamental to the function
                      the paper. This interdisciplinary working         and development of every city. It gives life
                      method is thus reflected in the outline of this   to the urbanism, and without roads, streets
                      publication. Wherever two or more authors         and markets no cities could exist. Movement
                      are given this indicates our efforts to develop   economy, that is the total of moments in a city,
                      the interdisciplinary approach further. The       propels its economic activities. The Italian
                      outline in three chapters partly follows the      word traffico has a double significance: traffic
                      project’s main aspects: Movement, Space and       and business. However, it is not the roads
                      Artefacts and the practical potential of our      themselves that bring together the different
                      research: Managing Cultural Heritage.             parts of the city to form a unity (one city),
                      	     In the opening paper, “That’s the way it    but the people making use of these spaces of
                      is”, Hans Bjur makes an introduction to Via       movement. Thus, research into roads is not
                      Tiburtina and its related urban environments,     a technical issue in the first place. They can
                      and to its meaning in the development of the      be studied as social, economic and political
                      urbanism of Rome. The primary purpose             projects, and the research that is to highlight
                      has been to analyse and describe what is          the interaction between urban development,
                      happening now. In which context do we find        movement, and human activity will necessarily
                      this research project?                            be multi-disciplinary.
                      	     The first part is framing Via Tiburtina     	     The first chapter contains four
                      geographically, as a space of movement related    contributions which each one throws light
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Hans Bjur & Barbro Santillo Frizell	
                      upon movement as a decisive factor in              resource along the Via Tiburtina. The author
                      historic and contemporary social construction      shows how the lakes have determined the
                      processes. The first study brings us back to the   layout of the road in accordance to their
                      very origin of the road when Via Tiburtina         relevance in the economy of animal breeding
                      constituted the artery in a spatial organization   and later in history as a spa. The place is an
                      of the landscape, which stretched from the         important feature in the cultural history of
                      Apennine mountains to the plains of Rome.          the territory, deserving more attention from
                      In her contribution “Changing pastures”,           antiquarian authorities. Unfortunately the
                      Barbro Santillo Frizell discusses the layout of    lakes of Aquae Albulae are today a sadly
                      the Via Tiburtina from a long-term economic        neglected heritage on the road, facing the risk
                      perspective, exploring the pastoral use of the     of extinction.
                      landscape in an organized system of animal         	      By a quick removal in space we are
                      breeding called transhumance. It required          brought back to the city life of ancient
                      a geographical setting of complementary            Rome. In his study “Navigating the Urban
                      character including mountains and plains.          Via Tiburtina” Simon Malmberg discusses
                      Although we can only define this phenomenon        how the ancient Romans navigated their
                      from the historical period, archaeology            urban environment, with special reference
                      indicates that this organization started           to the urban stretch of the Via Tiburtina.
                      already in the Bronze Age, thus suggesting         The author uses the analytical tools of path,
                      that the origins of Via Tiburtina lies in this     district, landmark, edge and node promoted
                      remote time depth. This organization strived       by the architect and urban planner Kevin
                      to optimize the economic outcome of the            Lynch. In applying the theories of Lynch on
                      livestock in catching natural resources by the     the Via Tiburtina, he uses archaeological and
                      movement of herds of domesticated animals          literary sources and a third-century marble
                      over distant geographical areas in a seasonally    plan of Rome. To get a better understanding
                      based rhythm. The transhumance created an          of what it must have been like to travel the
                      urban net-work of nodes and places and inter-      city, some colouring and life to the cityscape
                      regional spaces which crossed geographical         is added, as this in itself probably was an
                      and tribal boundaries. From the earliest times     important ingredient in knowing your way
                      onwards, the basic needs and conditions of         round the town: the flow of people, and the
                      the transhumance, such as access to pasture,       sights and sounds of the thoroughfares seems
                      supply of water, fords where to cross the          to have been an important directional tool in
                      river, production and markets, generated the       the city maze.
                      movements on Via Tiburtina which in turn           	     Since the Romans generally lacked maps,
                      determined the spatial lay-out of the road.        the main means by which the inhabitant
                      These choices, mainly based on economic            navigated the urban environment were
                      requirements, have greatly influenced              probably small landmarks, while the traveller
                      socio-political development and ideological        may have used a strong directional quality
                      attitudes, reflected in visible structures like    combined with asking his way round. To
                      markets and sanctuaries, city gates and roads,     navigate Rome must have been a chaotic
                      which in the end came to serve also other          experience. However, most people probably
                      purposes.                                          did not have to move long distances, but
                      	     The sulphurous lakes outside Tivoli,         stayed in their own neighbourhood for most
                      Aquae Albulae, were an important natural           of their lives. Long-distance travellers did not
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Hans Bjur & Barbro Santillo Frizell	
                      probably see much of the city; they moved         authors’ conclusion is that the “pilgrimage”
                      along the main thoroughfares, stayed in inns      concept requires a more nuanced definition
                      near the city gates, and perhaps visited a few    because there were several different religiously
                      of the major wonders of Rome.                     motivated movements to the grave. They left
                      	     In his study, “Movement between Rome        different kinds of traces – or indeed none at
                      and the sanctuary of S. Lorenzo”, Olof            all – all cannot be defined as “pilgrimages”.
                      Brandt investigates how movement, such            The starting point that movement is a
                      as it is reflected in physical structures along   primary phenomenon, which is reflected in
                      the urban part of Via Tiburtina, has been         physical structures, has proved highly fruitful
                      influenced by the presence of one of the most     as a method for research about the past.
                      revered pilgrimage sites in Rome: the grave       	     Kristina Hellerström’s contribution,
                      of St. Laurence, who was buried outside the       “Ways of experience” moves the reader two
                      city walls 258 AD. The theoretical starting       thousand years ahead, right into the turmoil of
                      point is the presumption that movement            todays’s Via Tiburtina. The study is aiming at a
                      creates structures, and not vice versa. Walls,    tentative reading of the vivid urban landscape
                      roads, gates and buildings are created around     along the road. One could say that she uses the
                      a movement, in order to make it possible.         perspective of individual spatial cognition. The
                      Structures remain as imprints of a movement       author, who is an architect and professional
                      when it has ceased to be, constituting sources    planner, suggests an extensive reading as a
                      for knowledge about it.                           first phase of strategy of renewal and re-design
                      Certain structures prove to be particularly       of contemporary urban peripheries. The
                      eloquent. The staircases built by emperor         intention is to influence the way we look at
                      Constantine, for access to the revered grave      and experience these built environments. The
                      and another in order to get back up, implies      focus of the study lies with the parameters
                      that movement to the grave was so extensive       of movement, speed and velocity, that is,
                      that traffic needed to be directed one            the perception of landscapes in motion. By
                      way. At the same time a large basilica that       support of a number of theories and methods
                      functioned as a covered burial ground was         of analysis developed for the ”reading” of
                      erected in the vicinity. Funerals and recurring   urban landscapes, visible properties along Via
                      commemorative memorial rites for the              Tiburtina are investigated and presented in a
                      deceased thus generated movements caused          documentation of images and an organization
                      by the grave of the saint, which cannot be        of impressions. Intangible aspects of the urban
                      described as pilgrimages in a strict sense.       structure like nodes, borders and key spaces
                      	     Porticoes erected from the city gate to     are identified in order to examine how they
                      the church of S. Lorenzo, at the latest in the    support reading and orientation. The author
                      6th century, reflect an extensive circulation     also puts forward some ideas on intervention
                      of people, but these might have depended          and re-design, where she suggests an approach
                      equally much on commercial functions as on        which takes existing built structures as points
                      movement motivated by religion. Mediaeval         of departure for increasing the urban quality
                      pilgrimage seems to have used other routes,       and meaning of these districts.
                      which in contemporary texts were described        	     In the second chapter are grouped five
                      without references to built structures. These     contributions discussing urban space and
                      texts indicate an individual pilgrimage, and in   related artefacts. “The Suburb as Centre”
                      other words a rather limited movement. The        is the somewhat paradoxical denomination
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Hans Bjur & Barbro Santillo Frizell	
                      of a study carried out by Hans Bjur and            disintegrated and developed into a lower-
                      Simon Malmberg. It concerns the urban              density settlement. Interestingly, one could
                      periphery of Rome in the period 200 to 500         note similarities between these structural
                      AD. Their thesis is that the periphery in this     changes and those dominating major
                      period obtained a new meaning and gradually        European cities during the 20th century.
                      began to surpass the centre in importance,         	     The Via Tiburtina space has through the
                      and that this displacement of activity-nodes       course of history developed into a complex
                      and movement created decisive prerequisites        mix-use pattern of settlements, industrial
                      of the polycentric structure which was to          activities and business. Håkan Hökerberg’s
                      dominate the urban development of Rome             contribution “From Agro Romano to an
                      up to the nineteenth century. The main             industrial zone” is an investigation of the rise of
                      focus is on areas and situations contextually      the industrial parts of the landscape along Via
                      related to the course of Via Tiburtina through     Tiburtina, mainly in the first half of the 20th
                      Rome within, and somewhat beyond the               century. When Rome became capital of the
                      Aurelian Wall. This periphery showed a never       united Italy, the dominating reluctant attitude
                      before seen expansion, with a planned and          towards big scale industrialization influenced
                      monumental suburbanisation. The reuse of           the character of the industrialization along
                      urban space reshaped the city, both the urban      Via Tiburtina: workshops and small factories
                      landscape and the everyday movements of the        became the predominant structures. The
                      inhabitants. The fora in the city centre started   author indicates that the industrial activity
                      to be abandoned, in favour of a different,         in the area was modest up to World War 2,
                      possibly mixed public and private use of           mostly dairies and garden centres related
                      space in the periphery, and at the same time       to the dominating agricultural activity,
                      Christian churches began to play a role as new     when the decision to locate Rome’s second
                      nodes in a transformed urban and urban/            industrial zone at Via Tiburtina, together
                      rural context.                                     with expropriations and financial subsidies,
                      The authors interpret the meaning of this          stimulated industrial development in the
                      transformation as a “monumentalisation of          1950s. The primary reasons for locating
                      the periphery”, an interesting but problematic     the second industrial zone in this area were
                      concept which is being discussed. They point       favourable topographic conditions, and access
                      out that monumentalisation always seems to         to water from the nearby Aniene river, which
                      have been crucial to attain an inurbamento,        was an essential resource for some of the most
                      which means to make an area city-like or           important new industries. People, whose old
                      creating an urban atmosphere, to give it           homes in the centre were demolished by the
                      a certain level of urbanity. Monument,             fascist government, moved out to new built
                      monumentality and monumentalisation are            settlements and made an accessible working
                      thus both essential and problematic concepts       class. Communications along Via Tiburtina
                      in research on urban planning, history and         were developed and new connecting roads
                      archaeology. In this study it is used as an        were built for the workers commuting.
                      explorative tool in order to identify and          	     Morphologically, several types of
                      analyse both physical and mental changes of        industrial structures at Via Tiburtina are
                      meaning in the relations between centre and        distinguished, like small workshops at the
                      periphery. The authors thus claim that the         backyards of new high-rise buildings, and
                      classical Roman city became more and more          small-scale industrial activities, which are
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Hans Bjur & Barbro Santillo Frizell	
                      separated from the residential areas, often         of efficient public planning have resulted in
                      having the character of barracks and sheds,         a piecemeal development. These processes
                      but also the more recent mono-functional            have interestingly produced very characteristic
                      industrial landscape located closer to Rome’s       results, giving each area a specific identity.
                      ring road. Several huge industrial complexes        There are many telling visual markers, and
                      are abandoned today, waiting for new                a detailed investigation into the individual
                      functions or demolition. As the industrial          circumstances will tell the full story.
                      development at Via Tiburtina is a fairly recent     	     The built environment which can
                      phenomenon, these buildings have not got            be experienced along Via Tiburtina thus
                      “historified”, being classified as industrial       represent many layers and a quite complex
                      heritage (like in Ostiense). The result is an       cultural heritage to manage. In his study,
                      accelerating decay.                                 “Where have all the ruins gone?”, Allan
                      	      In the study “Visible and invisible along    Klynne presents a brief overview of the
                      the Via Tiburtina”, Börje Magnusson sorts           mutual process of archaeological discoveries
                      out the patchwork of built areas that now           and urban expansion along Via Tiburtina
                      covers what was once a part of the Roman            from the 1870’s to the present day. It
                      countryside, the Agro Romano. The author            thus serves as a case study for the ongoing
                      has reviewed the historical process, which          discussions on cultural heritage management
                      led up to its present state, and distinguished      and the unrestrained development of Italian
                      three main phases of development. Up to             cities, in order to understand how the present
                      the beginning of the 20th century, the area         situation came about. His contribution starts
                      was divided into large estates with a very          with a brief outline of the economic impact
                      small resident population. After 1900, laws         of road transports and the settlement patterns
                      addressed the backwardness of the Agro              in the area during the Roman period, where
                      Romano, and measures to improve conditions          problems connected with the interpretation
                      resulted in an agricultural reform. After           of the archaeological record also are related
                      World War II this second structure gradually        for. Then follows a survey of the work done
                      gave way to urbanization.                           by the archaeological commission of Rome
                      	      Traces of the old estates, a number of old   for a period of more than one hundred
                      farmhouses, some incorporating Medieval             years, against the backdrop of shifting urban
                      towers and Roman walls can still be detected.       development plans, legal enactments and
                      The study shows that many invisible factors         discussion on how archaeology ought to be
                      have determined the development and what            conducted on Italian soil.
                      we see, for example estate borders, which have      	     The shifting ideas regarding intervention
                      influenced the form of later settlements. The       and conservation are discussed against the
                      agricultural reform resulted in new units and,      political and economical changes that occurred
                      more importantly, a network of roads that has       during the 20th century, thus showing
                      determined the present settlement pattern.          what kind of challenges the archaeological
                      After World War II a number of housing              excavations, surveys and cartographic studies
                      projects and industrial zones along Via             had to face. In the final section, current trends
                      Tiburtina were promoted by the commune,             of cooperation between different parties
                      still urbanization was largely a “spontaneous”      involved in the transformation of the urban
                      process and left to private initiative. Legal       landscape are discussed. The integration of
                      and illegal initiatives, combined with a lack       the cultural assets into the contemporary
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Hans Bjur & Barbro Santillo Frizell	
                      structures of the suburban landscape is today      generated urban layers and the transmission
                      recognized as a potential tool for reaching        of the cultural heritage, and explore the
                      social-economic goals of a wider scope. Yet,       continuation of the past in present urban life
                      the good intentions are threatened to come         through the mediation of space, using the
                      to an halt, since the cultural heritage laws,      concept of palimpsest as a mental tool. Spatial
                      the archaeological boards and the political-       relations and movement are two fundamental
                      economical forces continue to block each           properties in the authors theoretical points of
                      other. There is hope for the future, however,      departure. There is a direct relation between
                      since the key-players recognize a need for         the configuration of the urban grid and
                      change in order to move away from the              movement in cities, and as movement has
                      present “lose-lose” situation. In the wider        been, and presumably will be the key feature
                      context of suburban city planning, the past        of Via Tiburtina, they have found it adequate
                      has the potential to play an important role        to introduce the concept of “movement
                      when creating a sustainable future.                economy”, which directs our interest to the
                      	     So far we have mainly been concerned         relationship (interface) between movements
                      with how the artefacts of this urban landscape     in the entire city in its parts, in this and study
                      have grown up, being mixed with ancient            the Via Tiburtina space.
                      layers, and thus becoming (or not) objects         	     The last chapter Managing Cultural
                      of interest of cultural heritage management.       Heritage deals with questions on public
                      The last paper in this chapter concerns the        awareness raising, out-reach and heritage
                      characteristics of what is in-between: space. In   management discussing the practical
                      their study, “Discovering Space as Cultural        implications of our research. The first paper
                      Heritage – hidden properties of the urban          discusses cultural management issues which
                      palimpsest”, Mir Azimzadeh and Hans Bjur           need to be integrated into planning activities
                      deals with the underlying properties of the        at different scales and levels. In her study, “A
                      urban environment. Their thesis is that the        landscape in transformation”, Katri Lisitzin
                      present urban pattern, and the continuous          reflects on how the changing Via Tiburtina
                      evolution of urban space, movement and             space can be interpreted, denoted and
                      artefacts, is dependant on immanent spatial        managed adequately, and some innovative
                      systems, which to a large extent determine         measures for an integrated management of
                      movement and urban use. This approach to           the historical and environmental structures
                      the configuration of urban public space triggers   are discussed. A question is being risen: Can
                      off a fundamental question: can, and should,       the Via Tiburtina space be considered a
                      urban space be considered a cultural heritage?     landscape? And in that case, in which context?
                      If so, how can we reveal the hidden properties     As it, in terms of research, planning and
                      of the spatial systems? And how could they be      decision-making, either evidently belongs to
                      communicated in order to integrate space as a      the historic centre or the rural landscape, in
                      cultural heritage into contemporary planning       many ways this sort of terrain vague seems to
                      and social construction processes? In order        be non-existing. The author puts forward the
                      to contribute to the reading and deeper            all-encompassing notion of landscape and the
                      understanding of the Via Tiburtina space the       spaces of movement as mediators in planning
                      authors have put the Space Syntax theory into      and development processes with potential
                      practice. The aim has been to understand and       to bridge contrapositions between cities and
                      explain the interplay between the historically     their territories.
                                                                                                                         9
ƒig 2. Ponte Mammolo, a messy             Some problems concerning prevalent                tendency, how cultural and natural heritage
unconnected urban space in between,       planning models are discussed. The first one      management may have a role supporting eco
marked by movement. In this complex
metropolitan node in spe on the           is homogeneity as an implicit model to urban      –cultural systems and simply slowing down
Via Tiburtina, all layers in the urban    design and urban cultural management,             the mainstreamed development.
landscape interact: the river basin       which is obstructing adequate planning            	    In the article “Heritage on the road:
of Aniene, the ancient bridge Ponte       measures for milieus in the urban periphery;      a dead end or a way out”, three authors,
Mammolo, just behind the 19th century
bridge to the right, the underground      the author therefore suggests that it should      Kristina Hellerström, Allan Klynne and
bridge from the 80s, industries from      be substituted by a more inclusive model,         Håkan Hökerberg have contributed to a
the early 20th century, small remaining   based on heterogeneity. The second one is         discussion seeking to pin point diverging
allotments, modern settlements…           timing, a key factor in urban development.        and converging opinions on problems and
Photo: H.Bjur.
                                          As stakeholders are manifold, and national,       potentials connected to different cultural
                                          regional and municipal planning mechanisms        heritage practices. The narrative structure is
                                          are working with different speeds in the urban    in shape of a dialogue, where the perspectives
                                          landscape, planning tends to be left behind the   of an architect, an antiquarian in built
                                          rapid social and economical transformations.      environment and an archaeologist are applied
                                          In this study, the potential of a planning tool   to some locations at Via Tiburtina. Among
                                          (PRUSST) which aims at aiming at mediating        the questions asked is: Could the preservation
                                          between plans and projects, has therefore         of areas and artefacts give ulterior value to a
                                          been explored. The third one concerns what        modern periphery often lacking anchorage?
                                          maybe could be regarded as an opposite            The authors have chosen three specific
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Hans Bjur & Barbro Santillo Frizell	
                      areas to discuss. The purpose is not to judge      Hercules Victor at Tivoli. Their study has a
                      between “good” or “bad” decisions made by          double aim: the main purpose is to propose
                      colleagues, but to discuss if there are certain    ways to interpret the activities in the sanctuary
                      approaches which can be described as more          by creating illustrations and reconstructions,
                      successful than others, and if so, why? The        inviting the visitors to an open discussion
                      main focus is the present (and future) uses        based on a pedagogic approach to images. By
                      of the habitat, only occasionally taking other     contextualizing Via Tecta the authors want
                      meanings of the landscape, e.g. scenery,           to bring Tivoli into a larger spatial context of
                      nature, environment.                               movement along the Via Tiburtina, and also
                      	     The authors conclude that in a world         in a global perspective of a cultural history.
                      where the pressure for change is a dominant        The cultural landscape of pastures, meadows,
                      factor, development and excavations will           fords and springs is also a mental landscape
                      continue to produce “left over” in form of         of stories, myths, ideologies and mentalities
                      cultural heritage. As more such heritage is        which represents a common “European”
                      produced, new uses have to be invented.            history, unifying the northern and southern
                      A traditional strategy of closing in the past      countries’ earliest forms of civilised life.
                      in order to keep it stable tends to create         Finding approaches for a sustainable
                      conflict, however, leading to disintegration       development of this type of landscape is a
                      and alienation. By separating ancient remains      matter of high interest in European heritage
                      from the dynamics of the present, they             management of today.
                      become empty of meaning, frequently also           	     The authors also discuss issues of how
                      abandoned, thus creating a vicious circle. The     to visualize and communicate the past and
                      authors suggest a more active integration of       inviting the public to participate in the
                      the past in the present configuration: places      academic discourse. In archaeology images
                      need to be defined as targets not only skin        are traditionally not deployed until the final
                      deep, but relevant to the citizens and potential   stages of research in order to show already
                      tools for suburban renewal. In this process,       fully researched items, or, as in cases of more
                      the orchestrating of sites and monitoring on       theoretical studies, scarcely used at all. These
                      local level seems a crucial component. The         images illustrate texts, having the purpose of
                      built environment needs to be infused with         bridging the distance between scholar and
                      meaning in order to provide an attractive          society, between the museums and its visitors.
                      atmosphere for the living and achieving a          Traditionally, the image thus has a role as
                      better understanding and reading of the            an intermediary rather than a means of two-
                      palimpsest city. A closer coordination and         way communication, and it is often given
                      cooperation between archaeologists, architects     function of a popular science synopsis rather
                      and urban planners therefore seems crucial         than as a way of broadening the audience
                      for the future.                                    of a scientific thesis. In this study though,
                       	 How this infusion with meaning could            the focus lies on the image as a catalyst for
                      be done in a practical case is discussed in        individual interpretations, and the authors
                      the last study. In their joint contribution        are discussing how to move the image’s centre
                      “Displaying Via Tecta”, Barbro Santillo            of gravity from presenter to communicator,
                      Frizell and Jonathan Westin are raising issues     depriving it of its usual role as final truth
                      regarding out-reach and public awareness,          and instead making it a tool in the research
                      proposing an exhibition at the sanctuary of        process.
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