Staff Profiles
Dr Thea Ravasi
Research Associate - Rome Transformed
- Email: thea.ravasi@ncl.ac.uk
- Telephone: 0191 208 4473
- Personal Website: https://newcastle.academia.edu/TheaRavasi
- Address: School of History, Classics and Archaeology
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
Newcastle University, NE1 7RU, United Kingdom
I am co-drafter of and work for the Rome Transformed project, a 5 years ERC Advanced Grant project directed by Professor Ian Haynes that looks at the transformation of the urban layout of the Eastern Caelian in C1-8 CE, in the area comprised between the Lateran Cathedral and nearby buildings, the Aurelian Walls and the Sessorian Palace.
Since my PhD on the design of sculptural display at Hadrian's Villa in Tivoli, my research interests have focused on domestic and monumental architecture in Rome and Italy. I have worked extensively on the architecture and design of Roman elite residences in Rome, Herculaneum and Pompeii and on the architecture of bath complexes, like the Severan Baths under the Lateran Baptistery in Rome and their subsequent, Late Antique changes.
Qualifications
- PhD in Roman Archaeology, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Italy
- Postgraduate Diploma in Classical Archaeology (Scuola di Specializzazione), Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy
- Degree in Classics and Archaeology (First-class honours), Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy
Honours and Awards
- 2018, 6 months Fellowship at the British School at Rome (Italy)
- 2006-2008, Full 3 years PhD scholarship, Università degli Studi di Perugia
- 2002-2004, Full 3 years scholarship, Scuola di Specializzazione dell’Università degli Studi di Milano
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9244-495X
The archaeology of the Eastern Caelian
I am currently working with Ian Haynes (Newcastle) and Paolo Liverani (University of Florence) at the Rome Transformed project, an ERC funded project that looks at the transformation of the urban layout of the Eastern Caelian in C1-8 CE, in the area comprised between the Lateran Cathedral and nearby buildings, the Aurelian Walls and the Sessorian Palace. Thanks to a 6 months fellowship at the British School at Rome I was able to greater understanding of the archaeology of the area under the Lateran Baptistery, where a bath complex of the Severan period was excavated in the 1960s' and of the surrounding areas (check my blog entry about it here).
Roman sculpture and architecture: aesthetics, and control
I am interested in the relation between sculpture and architecture and the disposition of sculptures as part of the planning projects of Roman imperial residences. Some of the results from my research are published in Ravasi T. 2013, "The aesthetics of display in Roman sculpture", Destrée P., Murray P. (eds), A Companion to Ancient Aesthetics (Blackwell Companions to the Ancient World), John Wiley & Sons Inc.
Romanization and economy in Northern Italy
My research also focuses on broader transformations in the Roman economy as suggested by changes in the distribution and consumption of oil, wine and ‘garum’ fish sauce across Northern Italy, from the Republican age to the 2 century AD. I have published extensively on roman trade and economy in the Po valley and on the Roman republican and early imperial amphorae found in the Roman colony of Cremona.
Logboats and river archaeology between Adda and Oglio rivers (Italy) (2006-2010 - PI)
Research and conservation project for the archaeological collection of logboats at the Museo Civico di Crema e del Cremasco in collaboration with the Archaeology Heritage Regional Board of Lombardy. Aim of the project was to reconstruct the historical significance of the only surviving archaeological evidence of fluvial navigation along Adda and Oglio rivers. Major output of the project was the setting of a permanent exhibition at the Museo Civico di Crema e del Cremasco in 2010.
The setting of Roman small settlements (Italy) (2000-2007 - Fieldwork supervisor, Milan University, Italy)
Long-term excavation project of the Roman vicus of Calvatone-Bedriacum, near Cremona, Italy. The excavation focused on the area occupied by the Domus del Labirinto, built in the C 1BC and rebuilt during the Augustan age with lavishly decorated walls and opus signinum floors. The house comprised two triclinia, small rooms and open courtyards.
Roman colonies and urban landscapes (Italy) (1999-2005 - Fieldwork supervisor, Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici della Lombardia, Italy)
The research comprised the mapping of the archaeological records and the setting up of a GIS within the conservation project of the colony of Cremona (Northern Italy). The project aimed at the reconstruction of the original forma urbis of the colony. An accurate study, recording and positioning of all the archaeological evidence provided the reconstruction of the blocks and the road distribution within the city. It was also possible to locate the position of the Po river at the time of the foundation of the colony, in 218 BC.
Current PhD supervisions:
- Elettra Santucci: Sustaining Rome. The supply and use of water in the Eastern Caelian
- Roxana Montazerian: Comparative cost analysis of major construction projects in the Eastern Caelian 1st to 8th centuries CE
From 2010 to 2019 I have taught the following modules:
- (UG) CAC1012 Classical art and archaeology
- (UG) ARA2091 The Archaeology of the Roman Empire (in 2010, 2014 and 2017)
- (MA) ARA8050 Graduate Seminar in Roman Archaeology (in 2010 and 2014)
- Ravasi T, Dobreva D. Anfore. Il ruolo di Cremona nei commerci regionali e transregionali tra la fondazione della colonia e il I secolo a.C. In: Arslan Pitcher, L; Arslan, EA; Blockley, P; Volonte, M, ed. Amoenissimis aedificiis, Lo scavo di Piazza Marconi a Cremona: Volume II I materiali. Mantova: Societa' Archeologica Padana, 2018, pp.215-240.
- Ravasi T. Displaying Sculpture in Rome. In: Destrée, P., Murray, P, ed. A Companion to Ancient Aesthetics. Wiley-Blackwell, 2015, pp.248-261.
- Ravasi T. Estetica e progettazione architettonica nella disposizione dell’arredo scultoreo di Villa Adriana a Tivoli, Roma. In: Proceedings of the XVIII International Congress of Classical Archaeology. 2015, Merida, Spain.
- Dolfini A, Cardosa M, Dolci M, Ravasi T. La schedatura dei siti. In: N. Negroni Catacchio, M. Cardosa & A. Dolfini, ed. Paesaggi d’Acque. La Laguna di Orbetello tra Preistoria ed Età Romana. Milan: Centro Studi di Preistoria e Archeologia, 2017.
- Haynes I, Liverani P, Turner A, Ravasi T. Roma si trasforma: gli scavi di San Giovanni in Laterano e l’evoluzione della città eterna tra II e VI sec. d.C. Forma Urbis. Itinerari nascosti di Roma antica 2012, 18(6), 34-42.
- Ravasi T, Grassi B, Perticucci I, Fiori I, Mariani P. Il legno bagnato tra conservazione e valorizzazione. Le imbarcazioni monossili del Museo Civico di Crema e del Cremasco. In: VIII Congresso Nazionale IGIIC – Lo Stato dell’Arte. 2010, Venezia: Nardini.
- Ravasi T. Museo tra passato e futuro. Museo della città, museo del territorio. Insula Fulcheria. Rassegna di studi e documentazione di Crema e del Cremasco 2009, 39, 82-88.
- Ravasi T, Fredella C. Un approccio sperimentale alla didattica dell’antico nella nuova sezione di archeologia fluviale del Museo di Crema. Insula Fulcheria. Rassegna di studi e documentazione su Crema ed il Cremasco 2009, 39, 120-137.
- Ravasi T. Fase I. La tarda età repubblicana: i primi interventi e le prime domus. In: Grassi, M.T, ed. Calvatone-Bedriacum. I nuovi scavi nell’area della Domus del Labirinto (2001- 2006). Milan: Milan University, 2008.
- Dolfini A, Dolci M, Ravasi T. Il survey della Laguna di Orbetello: per un’archeologia dei paesaggi relitti. In: Preistoria e Protostoria in Etruria. Atti dell’VIII Incontro di Studi. 2008, Milan: Centro Studi di Preistoria e Archeologia.
- Volonte' M, Ravasi T, Nicodemo M. Le vie delle anfore. Il commercio di derrate alimentari a Cremona dal II secolo a.C. attraverso la testimonianza dei recipienti anforari dello scavo di Piazza Marconi. In: Baioni, M; Fredella, C, ed. Archaeotrade. Antichi commerci nella Lombardia Orientale. Milan: Edizioni Et, 2008, pp.285-303.
- Ravasi T, Barbaglio F. Modalità di trasporto di merci e persone lungo il basso corso di Adda e Oglio. Le imbarcazioni monossili conservate presso il Museo Civico di Crema e del Cremasco. In: Baioni, M; Fredella, C, ed. Archaeotrade. Antichi commerci nella Lombardia Orientale. Milan: Edizioni Et, 2008, pp.37-61.
- Mariotti V, Massa S, Ravasi T. Testimonianze degli scambi tra Mediterraneo orientale ed occidentale nel territorio della colonia di Cremona. Presenze e assenze. In: The Pottery of the Via Egnatia. Cultural Exchange between East and West. XXV International Congress of Rei Cretariae Romanae Fautores. 2008, Durrës, Albania: Rei Creatariae Romanae Fautores Acta.
- Ravasi T. Scrittura, tecnologia e design. La collezione di macchine per scrivere del Museo di Crema. Crema, Italy: Museo Civico di Crema e del Cremasco, 2007.
- Volontè M, Cecchini N, Nicodemo M, Ravasi T, Ridolfi G. Ceramica di produzione locale e di importazione dai recenti scavi di Cremona : Nuove considerazioni sul quadro socio-economico (tra la tarda età repubblicana e la prima età imperiale). In: Produzioni e commerci in Transpadana in età romana. 2006, Como, Villa Olmo.
- Mariotti V, Massa S, Ravasi T. Cremona, dal fiume alla città: materiali da due scavi degli anni Ottanta. Notiziario per i Beni Archeologici della Lombardia 2006, 193-208.
- Ravasi T, Manzia MG, Maranesi M. Le collezioni archeologiche del Museo Civico di Crema. Prime considerazioni sui materiali di età romana. Insula Fulcheria. Rassegna di studi e documentazione su Crema ed il Cremasco 2006, 36, 211-222.
- Ravasi T. Olio, vino, garum. Le relazioni commerciali di Calvatone-Bedriacum alla luce dei ritrovamenti di anfore. In: Old Pottery in a new Century. Innovating Perspectives on Roman Pottery Studies. Atti del Convegno Internazionale di Studi. 2006, Catania, Italy.
- Ravasi T. Calvatone-Bedriacum e i rapporti commerciali con l’Italia tirrenica. Il caso delle anfore Richborough 5271. In: Papers in Italian Archaeology VI. Communities and Settlements from the Neolithic to the Early Medieval Period', Proceedings of the 6th Conference of Italian Archaeology. 2005, University of Groningen, Groningen Institute of Archaeology (The Netherlands).
- Pitcher L, Ravasi T. Un G.I.S. per la gestione informatizzata della documentazione archeologica della Provincia di Cremona. In: Workshop Beni ambientali e culturali e G.I.S. 2005, Florence, Italy.
- Ravasi T. Prodotti di importazione a Calvatone romana. il caso delle anfore di forma Richborough 527 e di un frammento di vetro del gruppo di Linceo. ACME: Rivista della Facoltà di Lettere e Filosofia dell’Università Statale di Milano 2003, 56(2), 5-50.
- Haynes I, Liverani P, Ravasi T, Kay S, Peverett I. The Lateran Project: interim report for the 2018-2019 season (Rome). Papers of the British School at Rome 2019, 87, 318-322.
- Haynes I, Liverani P, Ravasi T, Kay S, Peverett I. The Lateran Project: interim report for the 2017-2018 season (Rome). Papers of the British School at Rome 2018, 86, 320-325.
- Haynes I, Liverani P, Kay S, Piro S, Ravasi T, Carboni F. Rome Transformed: researching the Eastern Caelian C1-C8 CE (Rome). Papers of the British School at Rome 2020, 88, 354-357.
- Ravasi T, Liverani P, Haynes I, Kay S. The Lateran Project: interim report fro the 2019-2020 Season (Rome). Papers of the British School at Rome 2020, 88. In Press.
- Ravasi T, Haynes I, Peverett I. The nymphaeum of Corsia Mazzoni: from archaeological investigation to 3D visualization. In: Rileggere il Laterano antico. Il rilievo 3D dell’Ospedale di S. Giovanni. 2020, Rome: Insegna del Giglio. Submitted.
- Haynes I, Liverani P, Carboni F, Ravasi T, Kay S, Piro S, Morelli G. Rome Transformed: Fieldwork in South-East Rome. Papers of the British School at Rome 2022. In Press.
- Haynes I, Liverani P, Carboni F, Ravasi T, Kay S, Piro S, Morelli G. Rome Transformed: Interdisciplinary analysis of the Eastern Caelian (Rome). Papers of the British School at Rome 2021, 89, 342-346.