IL VIGNALE RITROVATO

Vignale - January 1831

19 January - During the construction of the Royal road we have found ancient Roman bath remains,

that must be located in Vignale.

It is registered the presence of many little canals, of an apsed building and of a square structure,

that can be interpreted like a cistern.

Tomorrow the workers are going to move the last meters of earth, thus I can complete the plan.

But, but, where am I? and who are these people?

And what are they doing here, on my excavation??

Who are you? And what are you doing here?

What are you saying?? We are archaeologists and we're digging.

Archaeologists??? But I'm an archaeologist too.

Why are you working in this way? Where are the workers? And why are there all these women?

Truly, we aren't workers but we are university students. We don't use only the pick but also the brush and the trowel.

For example, that girl is using the brush to enlight the floor.

That boy overthere is using the pick to deepen the test pit.

So, could you explain me why do you keep all, these, insignificant pieces of pottery?

These pieces of pottery are not insignificant! Really, they are of prime importance.

They help us to date the cronological periods of this site.

For example, this is a fragment of sigillata italica; we can reconstruct not only its shape and then its function but moreover,

permits us to date the period of life of this structure between the 60 BC and the 90 AD.

Clockwise!!! Ok!!

But what is claiming, that woman?? and what is that yellow contraption??

That instrument is the "Total station". We use it to draw our plans of the excavation.

Plan of excavation?? How can you do??

Look this!

Look at the girl over there! She is using the prism, that it is used to signal a point to the station, that registers it.

We register various points in order to delimit the surface of the layers.

At the end of the day, we download all these points on a laptop to create a plan.

The one that you have in your hand is the result.

Layers?? Prism?? Laptop?? What are these things?? and, most of all, in which epoch we are??

How in that epoch?? You are joking! We are in 2008 obviously!

In effect, you are worn in a strange way. We have introduced ourself to you, but who are you?

What? Who am I? I am the Director of the Escavazione della Fabbrica de' Bagni in Vignale.

We have started the excavation in the January of 1831.

Are you joking?? you started the excavation in 1831??

You have said that we are in 2008!!

You have said that we are in 2008!!!! (echoed)

PS. Remind to control possible relations between the structures excavated and those of the new plan!