Integrating Remote Sensing, Archaeological Survey and Geophysical Prospections for the Enhancement of Roman Doclea, Montenegro

Abstract

The Roman city of Doclea is a key archaeological site of Montenegro, valued for its impressive remains and its role in the nation's cultural identity within European and the Mediterranean history. Doclea was the second‐largest city in the province of Roman Dalmatia, a municipium created in the first century ad and named after the Illyrian tribe Docleati . Since 2017, a multidisciplinary research project has been coordinating the study and enhancement of the city and its territory. The project was the result of an international agreement between the National Research Council of Italy, the Ministry of Science and the Ministry of Culture of Montenegro. The project team implemented multidisciplinary approach, through the application of different technologies and methodologies (satellite, aerial and drone images analysis and geophysical prospections with ground penetrating radar) integrated with historical approaches (archival research, epigraphic and ancient literature review), archaeological surveys and architectonic reconstructions. The Italian—Montenegrin team is striving not only to acquire a better understanding of the city but also for the construction of a credible enhancement project, able to improve the knowledge and the ‘use’ of the site by the local community and tourists. The collected data, in fact, are fully integrated into an innovative enhancement project, which leaves space for new development strategies. The research considers both the visible ruins and those hypothesized through geophysical investigation and remote sensing, anticipating future advances in our knowledge through the opening of new excavation areas.