Edifici di culto non cristiano a Ostia tra IV e V secolo d.C. Il caso dei mitrei

L'antica città di Ostia ha restituito il maggior numero di mitrei noti in contesto urbano, presenti in ogni quartiere attualmente conosciuto e sempre ricavati all'interno di edifici preesistenti. La tesi in oggetto intende esaminare la tematica relativa alle modalità di installazione e soprattutto abbandono dei suddetti mitrei, in relazione all'ascesa e diffusione della religione cristiana. Nell'ottica di rivedere e aggiornare il catalogo edito da Giovanni Becatti ormai più di sessant'anni or sono, ci si è inoltre prefissi lo scopo di superare la tradizionale identificazione del mitreo con il solo spelaeum, la vera e propria aula di culto, cercando di definire tutti gli spazi propriamente mitraici nell'ambito dei complessi in cui essi vennero installati. La ricerca è stata portata avanti anche grazie all'utilizzo delle moderne tecniche di rilievo bi- e tridimensionale, utili alla realizzazione di una nuova documentazione grafica relativa ai mitrei.In the ancient city of Ostia there is the largest number of mithraea in an urban context, present in every neighborhood currently known and always obtained within pre-existing buildings. The thesis intends to examine the issue concerning the modalities of installation and particularly abandonment of the mithraea, in relation to the rise and spread of the Christian religion. In order to review and update the catalog published by Giovanni Becatti now more than sixty years ago, we have also tried to overcoming the traditional identification of the mithraeum with the spelaeum, the cult room, in an attempt to define all the proper mithraic spaces within the complexes in which they were installed. The research has been carried out also with the modern bi- and three-dimensional relief techniques, useful for the realization of a new graphic documentation of the mithraea

Symbols of Identity and Culture of the Monogram in the Late Antique Mithraism

The highest number of mithraea in urban context of the ancient world come from Ostia. Although we do not know the whole city, mithraea have been found in all districts of the town. The spread and fortune of the Mithraic worship are also attested by the plenteous epigraphic and sculptural materials. This research deals with the Mithraism at Ostia, focusing on the particular case of monograms, just mentioned by Giovanni Becatti in his seminal work about mithraea at Ostia, dating back to more than sixty years ago. After the recent discovery of the Mithraeum of colored marbles by the archaeologists of the Ostia Marina Project (University of Bologna), it seems necessary to examine and contextualize the phenomenology of Mithraic monograms at Ostia, as is done in relation to similar processes which involve the Christian world

The ESA ΦSat-2 Mission: An A.I Enhanced Multispectral CubeSat for Earth Observation

As part of an initiative to promote the development and implementation of innovative technologies on-board Earth Observation (EO) missions, the European Space Agency (ESA) kicked off the first Φsat related activities in 2018 with the aim of enhancing the already ongoing FSSCAT project with Artificial Intelligence (AI). The selected Φsat-2 concept will provide a combination of on-board processing capabilities (including AI) and a medium to high resolution multispectral instrument from Visible to Near Infra-Red (VIS/NIR) able to acquire 8 bands (7 + Panchromatic) provided by SIMERA SENSE Europe (BE). These resources will be made available to a series of dedicated applications that will run on-board the spacecraft. The mission prime is Open Cosmos (UK), supported by CGI (IT) to coordinate the payload operations for at least 12 months after LEOP and commissioning phase. During the nominal phase the various AI applications will be fine-tuned after the on-ground training and then routinely run. A series of AI applications that could be potentially embarked are under development. The first one is called SAT2MAP and is expected to autonomously detect streets from acquired images. It is developed by CGI (IT). The second AI application is an enhancement of the Φsat-1 cloud detection experiment, able to prioritize data to be downloaded to ground, based on standard cloud coverage and new concentration measurements. It is developed by KP Labs (PL) and it is based on a U-Ne. This application will mainly act as an on-board service for the other applications, relieving them of the task of assessing the presence of the clouds. The Autonomous Vessel Awareness application aims to detect and classify various vessel types in the maritime domain. This would enable a reduced amount of data to be downloaded (only image patches including the vessel) improving the response time for final users (e.g maritime authorities). In this case the AI technique used is a combination of Single Image Super resolution (SRCNN) and Yolo-based Convoluted Neural Network (CNN). The Deep Compression application generically reduces the amount of data to be downloaded to ground with limited information loss. The image is compressed on-board and then reconstructed on ground by means of a decoder. It can achieve a compression rate of about 7 per band. It is based on the use of a Convolutional Auto Encoder (CAE). Two more AI applications will be selected by ESA through a dedicated challenge open to institutions, Agencies and industries that will be run in the first half of 2023. The Φsat-2 mission successfully passed the CDR phase at the end of 2022 aiming for a launch in 2024

Le ultime fasi di vita del mitraismo ostiense. Nuove indagini archeologiche

Ancient Ostia presents the largest amount of urban mithraea in the Roman world. Although the city has not yet been excavated in its entirety, every known district has worship places dedicated to god Mithras. After the publication of Giovanni Becatti’s catalogue in the “Scavi di Ostia” series, the research carried out by the Ostia Marina Project of the University of Bologna has led to the discovery of a new mithraeum – so-called of “Colored Marbles” – built in the second half of the 4th century A.D. in the neighborhood outside Porta Marina. From this discovery, a research project has been proposed, aimed at a new systematic study of Ostian mithraism, in an attempt to understand its final stages of life as well as the decline and abandonment of the mithraea between the 4th and 5th century A.D., especially in connection with the victory of Christianity and its radicalization in the ancient city. On this occasion, some research will be presented, focusing mainly on the mithraea Aldobrandini, of Fructosus, of the Painted Walls, of the Snakes and of the Thermae of Mithra, with special attention to the new structural reliefs, carried out with modern bi- and three-dimensional techniques, and to the analysis of still unpublished archival materials

The Ostian Mithraea in Late Antiquity. New Archaeological Research on the End of Mithraism

L’antica città di Ostia ha restituito la più ingente quantità di mitrei in ambito urbano che il mondo romano conosca. Nonostante la città sia sconosciuta nella sua interezza, ogni quartiere ad oggi noto conserva luoghi di culto dedicati al dio Mitra. A seguito della loro pubblicazione da parte di Giovanni Becatti nel secondo volume della serie Scavi di Ostia, ormai più di sessant’anni or sono, la ricerca sul mitraismo ostiense ha oggi trovato nuova linfa grazie agli studi portati avanti dal Progetto Ostia Marina dell’Università di Bologna e alla scoperta del cosiddetto Mitreo dei Marmi Colorati, realizzato con tutta probabilità durante la seconda metà del IV secolo d.C. nell’ambito del quartiere fuori Porta Marina. Da tale rinvenimento ha preso origine un progetto di ricerca volto allo studio sistematico e alla schedatura dei mitrei ostiensi, con l’intento di comprenderne le fasi finali di vita e le modalità di declino e abbandono tra IV e V secolo d.C., anche e soprattutto in relazione alla vittoria del Cristianesimo e alla sua radicalizzazione nell’antica città portuale di Ostia. In tale occasione verranno dunque presentati alcuni risultati della ricerca in corso, focalizzandosi principalmente sui mitrei Aldobrandini, di Fructosus, dei Serpenti e sul cosiddetto Mitreo delle Terme del Mitra, con particolare attenzione ai nuovi rilievi strutturali, effettuati con le moderne tecniche di documentazione bi- e tridimensionale, e all’analisi del materiale d’archivio ancora inedito.Ancient Ostia presents the largest amount of urban mithraea in the Roman world. Although the city is not yet digged in its entirety, every district has worship places dedicated to god Mithra. Thanks to the publication, sixty years ago, of the Giovanni Becatti’s catalogue in the “Scavi di Ostia” series, these mithraea are well known, but much remains to be done. Recently the research carried out by the Ostia Marina Project of the University of Bologna has led to the discovery of a new mithraeum – so-called of “Colored Marbles” – built in the second half of the IV century A.D. in the neighborhood outside Porta Marina. From this finding, a research project has been proposed, aimed at a new systematic study of the ostian mithraism, in an attempt to understand its final stages of life and the ways of decline and abandonment of the mithraea between IV and V century A.D., especially in connection with the victory of Christianity and its radicalization in the ancient city. On this occasion, some research will be presented, focusing mainly on the Aldobrandini mithraeum, the mithraeum of Fructosus, the mithraeum of the Snakes (Serpenti) and the so-called mithraeum of the Thermae of Mithra, with special attention to the new structural reliefs, carried out with modern bi- and three-dimensional techniques, and to the analysis of still unpublished archive materials

All'ombra del Cristianesimo dilagante nell'Impero Romano. Una lettura archeologica

Tra il IV e il V secolo d.C., ed in particolare a partire dal principato di Teodosio, il controverso e difficile rapporto tra il Cristianesimo, ormai dilagante, e le altre religioni è riflesso in tutto il territorio dell’impero romano sia dalle fonti storiche che dalle testimonianze archeologiche. Ad una legislazione imperiale piuttosto repressiva nei confronti dei luoghi di culto e dei rituali tradizionali, fece da contraltare una diversità di fenomeni da analizzare necessariamente a livello locale, senza generalizzare, distinguendo tra ambito urbano e rurale. Se da una parte, soprattutto in Italia, molti templi vennero chiusi o sconsacrati, altri vennero ignorati o riutilizzati per scopi diversi, mentre la religiosità non cristiana continuò a sopravvivere in una dimensione “privata” e attraverso la miniaturizzazione di edifici costruiti ex novo o il restauro di altri. Si intende dunque presentare in questa sede, attraverso esempi mirati, un’analisi dello sviluppo degli edifici di culto non cristiani nell’Italia teodosiana, al fine di provare a comprendere, attraverso il dato archeologico, le modalità di convivenza e di “scontro” tra le religioni tradizionali e il Cristianesimo

Symbols of identity and culture of the monogram in the late antique mithraism. The case of Ostia

The highest number of mithraea in urban context of the ancient world come from Ostia. Although we do not know the whole city, mithraea have been found in all districts of the town. The spread and fortune of the Mithraic worship are also attested by the plenteous epigraphic and sculptural materials. This research deals with the Mithraism at Ostia, focusing on the particular case of monograms, just mentioned by Giovanni Becatti in his seminal work about mithraea at Ostia, dating back to more than sixty years ago. After the recent discovery of the Mithraeum of colored marbles by the archaeologists of the Ostia Marina Project (University of Bologna), it seems necessary to examine and contextualize the phenomenology of Mithraic monograms at Ostia, as is done in relation to similar processes which involve the Christian world

Restauri musivi creativi a Ostia antica. Gli interventi del tipo à divertissement

Starting from the discovery of a new mosaic pavement (2019) in the so-called Building of Two Staircases at Ostia, we analyse a particularly creative method of restoration, named by M. David (1997) à divertissement. This type of restoration is represented at Ostia by a mosaic pavement of the Terme di Nettuno (II, iv, 2), in the Domus dei Dioscuri and in the Piazzale delle Corporazioni. In some ways they are a sign of a certain freedom of action of the craftmen and almost of a form of frivolous and playful entertainment

Cultura del monogramma nelle religioni misteriche della Tarda Antichità

A partire dagli inizi del IV secolo il monogramma inteso come simbolo identitario di un’espressione religiosa appare come una componente fondamentale nell’evoluzione delle forme della comunicazione in una società multiculturale. La diffusione e la fortuna del Mitraismo tra il III e il IV secolo d.C. sono testimoniate dai numerosi luoghi di riunione degli adepti, ma anche dall’abbondante materiale epigrafico e scultoreo finora rinvenuti. Nel caso di Ostia, città in cui è documentato il maggior numero di mitrei, è riconoscibile una presenza diffusa di segni e simboli mitraici anche fuori dagli spazi specificamente dedicati ai riti di questa espressione religiosa. Nel sito ostiense opera ormai da una dozzina di anni la missione archeologica denominata Progetto Ostia Marina con risultati utili anche per una migliore comprensione delle manifestazioni della religione mitraica. Pure in ragione del recente rinvenimento del Mitreo dei marmi colorati si esamina in questa sede la fenomenologia del monogramma mitraico. La casistica è vista in relazione con quella nota in altri ambiti religiosi, in particolare nei contesti cristiani.Since the beginning of the IV century AD the monogram – as a symbol of the identity of a religious expression – appears as a fundamental component in the evolution of the forms of communication in a multicultural society. The great diffusion of Mithraism between the III and IV centuries AD is witnessed by the many places of worship, but also by the rich epigraphic and sculptural materials found so far. In the case of Ostia, the city with the highest number of mithraea in an urban context, the widespread presence of Mithraic signs and symbols can be recognized even outside the places specifically dedicated to the rites of this religious expression. The Ostia Marina Project, the archaeological mission of the University of Bologna, has been operating for a dozen years with useful results, also for a better understanding of the manifestations of the Mithraic religion thanks to the recent discovery of the Mithraeum of colored marbles. The case studies presented here are investigated in relation to those known in other religious contexts, particularly in Christian ones

I pavimenti antichi dei mitrei ostiensi. Riesame della documentazione

It is known that many mithraea were found in Ostia. After their publication by Giovanni Becatti, more than sixty years ago, the research on Mithraism in such an important site has found today new life thanks to the excavations of the Ostia Marina Project of the University of Bologna and to the discovery of the so-called Mithraeum of colored marbles, which owes its name to the very particular marble pavement found in the spelaeum. Starting from this discovery, the pavements of the numerous known mithraea in Ostia are presented here. Their analytical study allows us to outline the peculiar characteristics of these sacred spaces and to reconstruct the furnishings of the rooms. Moreover, this analysis offers useful elements to understand the ritual forms of one of the most widespread cults in the Roman Empire between the 2nd and the 4th century AD