Since 2007, the Gabii Project has launched archaeological initiative aiming at understanding the long trajectory of a Latin center from its formation phase to the end of its ancient life. Five city blocks have been extensively excavated exposing a continuous sequence of occupation spanning from the Early Iron Age to Late Antiquity.

This talk will focus on the evidence uncovered in the so-called A-B areas, documenting the birth of enucleated settlements in pre-urban centers, the establishment of a quasi-orthogonal urban grid in the late 5th century BCE, the construction of private houses in the mid-Republican times, and the repurposing of the block with a small burial ground and the installation of a quarry of the local bedrock during the Empire. The dynamics that led to this last transformation, the co-existence of industrial activities and tombs traditionally relegated to outside the perimeter of cities, give us the opportunity to explore perceptions of “urban” and “not urban” spaces.

The talk will explore these dynamics through the digital publication of the final report on area AB city block (A Cemetery and Quarry from Imperial Gabii ) presenting a new holistic approach to archaeological publication. This open access report, featuring a layered narrative, combines texts, traditional illustrations, and databases with an interactive digital 3D model.

Anna Gallone is a Roman archaeologist and lecturer at John Cabot University whose research focuses on urban development in Tyrrhenian Italy and the Romanization of central and southern Italy. She has served as the field director of the Gabii Project since 2007, and was awarded the AIA prize for digital archaeology in 2024 for her editorial work on A Cemetery and Quarry from Imperial Gabii.

This lecture has been selected as the 2025–2026 Ernest R. Graham Lecture in Ancient Architecture by the Archaeological Institute of America.

The talk will last 40 minutes, followed by a Q&A session.

The event is open to all AIA members, the general public, and the JCU community, but registration is required to access the New Campus in John Cabot University.

The event is organized by Prof. Massimo Betello (Secretary of Rome-SPQR AIA; History and Humanities Dept, JCU) in collaboration with John Cabot University and the Archaeological Institute of America (https://www.archaeological.org/)