De Martino, Giuseppina (2017) Multidisciplinary approach for the analysis of the post-earthquake reconstruction in ancient Pompeii city: the case study of Villa of Diomedes. [Tesi di dottorato]

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The knowledge of the seismic risk in ancient Roman cities is mainly based on textual sources that more or less faithfully report damage and repair interventions. The reconstruction’s process and the techniques used by ancient Roman builders to repair and strength the building damaged by earthquake are unknown in large part. In general, the knowledge about the relationship between construction techniques used for reconstruction and damage induced by earthquake remains very limited for the ancient world The only existing contributions are based on archaeological study and the observation of “architectural disorders”. Those studies are not exhaustive because they can not prove if the reconstruction or repair interventions observed through archaeological analysis is due to earthquake or to intrinsic lack of the construction (weak foundations, erosion of building materials,…). A systematic study based on multidisciplinary approach is still missing. To fill this gap the manuscript aims to identify the existence of a culture of seismic risk management in antiquity and to reproduce the conditions of reconstruction and the technical choices made by ancient builders to prevent the seismic risk. The methodologies adopted have been up-to-date and used in the research field of specific ancient roman building, the Villa of Diomedes in Pompeii ruins. The comprehensive set of different disciplines that have been applied on the Villa encompasses: i) archaeological analysis; ii) typological and technical study and analysis of materials such as tiles, mortars, stones; iii) analysis of post-seismic restorations; iv) photogrammetric work; v) geophysical surveys; vi) stratigraphic analysis; vii) analysis of the construction phases and building evolution; viii) structural surveys and analyses including building materials and construction techniques surveys, crack pattern survey, sonic tests, endoscopic tests, ground penetrating radar tests, dynamic identification tests, and seismic vulnerability assessment of the complex. The analysis of the Villa building phases, along with the study of building techniques, paintings styles, and structural cracking, showed a brisk pace of interventions between the 50's and 70's. The kinematic analysis for out of plane mechanisms and a numerical model have been carried out to assess if reconstruction or repair interventions observed are due to 62-63A.D. earthquake or to intrinsic lack of the construction. Although many hypothesis about the material properties and the intensity of earthquake, a good match between repair interventions and the structural analysis results have been found. These analyses matched has yielded interesting findings in the field of knowledge of the seismic risk in ancient Roman cities. The identification of existence of a culture of seismic risk management in antiquity is of paramount importance for the countries of the Mediterranean basin that, being characterized by a strong historic background and large presence of archaeological remains, have to face medium to high levels of seismic hazard. Therefore, the research has an important meaning under an historic point of view, but an even greater significance and impact under the technical and engineering point of view. It is necessary to improve the used approach for the implications on the conservation and seismic protection of such a huge heritage, and the future development of materials, techniques and appropriate intervention/design choices.

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