Ground-Penetrating Radar Reveals Entire Roman City Without Excavation

A team of researchers from the University of Cambridge and Ghent University used Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) to map the entire Roman city of Falerii Novi in Viterbo province, Italy, without any excavation. The city, dating to 241 BC and located between Civita Castellana and Fabrica di Roma, lies within the ancient walls of Falerii, which still stand along with the monumental Porta di Giove. The underground settlement, roughly half the size of Pompeii, defies typical Roman urban planning. The survey identified a bath complex, a market, a temple, an elaborately structured monument, and an extensive water pipe network. The GPR device was mounted behind a quad bike, sending radar waves every 12.5 centimeters across 30.5 hectares to create detailed 3D images. The technology works best on dry ground, as moisture can interfere. The discovery was published in the journal Antiquity. Martin Millet, professor of Classical Archaeology at Cambridge, stated that the level of detail achieved suggests GPR could transform how archaeologists investigate ancient urban sites, potentially being applied to cities like Miletus in Turkey, Nicopolis in Greece, and Cyrene in Libya.