This spring has seen the completion of a large scale geophysical survey of the site of Lucus Feroniae, 30km to the north of Rome. Working together with the Sopintendenza Archeologia Belle Arti e Paesaggio per l’area metropolitana di Roma, la provincia di Viterbo e l’Etruria meridionale (with special thanks to Dott.ssa Alfonsina Russo and Dott. Gianfranco Gazzetti) the BSR and University of Southampton have investigated the important sanctuary and town with both magnetometry and Ground-Penetrating Radar.
Following its discovery in the early 1950s, subsequent excavations focused around the central area of the forum, temple and amphitheatre, together with the excavation in 1961 of the close by Villa dei Volusii Saturnini. Whilst the routes of the major thoroughfares, the Via Tiberina and Via Capenate, have been traced, the full extent of the city has never been fully mapped.
The survey, the preliminary results of which were presented at the UCL and Soprintendenza workshop held at the BSR last November , will be presented at a conference in May hosted by the Museum of Nepi (Director Dott. Stefano Francocci). Building upon the newly published volume Lucus Feroniae: il santuario, la città, il territorio the results of the survey reveal that this was a small town, perhaps serving as an administrative centre, but which was focused around the sanctuary. The results of the survey, which complement the findings of the earlier Roman Towns Project, will shortly be published in PBSR.
Stephen Kay (Archaeology Officer)
Photos by Sophie Hay (Geophysics Officer)
Life at the BSR 
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