The technical skills of the Roman agrimensores - the technicians in charge of the centuriations (division of the lands) and of other surveys such as planning towns and aqueducts - are simply legendary. For instance, extremely accurate projects of centuriations are still visible today in Italy and in other Mediterranean countries. Their work had also religious and symbolic connections being related with the foundation of towns and the Etruscan's tradition.
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Plan of the house of Orion, showing the disposition of the newly discovered images (1,2) and of the mosaics (3) [Credit: L. Ferro, G Magli, M. Osanna] |
Up to now, the unique known example of a Groma was coming from Pompeii excavations, while images illustrating the work of the Gromatics were passed on only by medieval codex's, dating to many centuries after the art of the agrimensores was not practiced any more. It now looks like that again Pompeii is the place where new information about these ancient architects can come out.
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The newly discovered images probably referring to the Roman surveyors [Credit: L. Ferro, G Magli, M. Osanna] |
The interpretation of the images has been recently given in a joint paper by Massimo Osanna, Director of the Pompeii archaeological site, and Luisa Ferro and Giulio Magli, of the School of Architecture at the Politecnico of Milan. Among the images there is, for instance, a square inscribed in a circle.
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An image from a Codex of the Middle Age showing the work of the Gromatics and, in particular, a circle-cross nearly identical to the one just discovered [Credit: AAAS] |
The circle is cut by two perpendicular lines, one of which coincides with the longitudinal axis of the atrium of the house and appears as a sort of rose of the winds that identifies a regular division of the circle in eight equally spaced sectors.
The image is strikingly similar to one used in the medieval codex's to illustrate the way in which the Gromatics divided the space. Another, complex image shows a circle with an orthogonal cross inscribed in it, connected by five dots disposed as a sort of small circle to a straight line with a base. The whole appears as the depiction of a Groma.
Was the house used for meetings and/or the owner himself belonged to the gromatic's guild? We do not know it for sure. In any case however, and once again, Pompeii reveals itself as an invaluable source in understanding key aspects of the Roman life and civilization.
Source: Politecnico di Milano [December 03, 2019]
* This article was originally published here
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