Nuovi sguardi a Este (Padova). Una proposta di ricostruzione del settore occidentale della città romana, tra remote e proximal sensing e prospezioni geofisiche

In Este (Padova) there is an area of about 30 hectares, currently used for agricultural purposes, which represented a very important sector of the ancient Roman city. After some hydrographic uphea- vals started towards the end of the 1st century AD, it was early abandoned. This area of Este, uninhabited nowadays, has proven to be particu- larly suitable for the application of remote and proximal sensing techniques, which have combined different data, derived from mul- tispectral satellite imagery, aerial photos and drone’s camera shoot- ings. This approach of analysis at different scales, both spatial and temporal, led to the identification of numerous features and infra- structures of probable roman origin, reaching increasingly higher resolutions and, in some cases, a considerable level of detail. A multidisciplinary approach to the research, with specialists from different disciplines (ancient topography, applied geophysics and archaeology), has also led to conduct geophysical surveys using FDEM and ERT methods in selected areas, and to the reinterpre- tation of the available archaeological data. The result of this inter- disciplinary work led to the proposal of a reconstruction of the ur- ban organisation of the western sector of Ateste and its relationship with the territory.