Multimodal documentation methods at Villa of Brutus, Tivoli: Towards a new understanding of otium villas

The otium villas (luxurious aristocratic residences) in Latium and Tibur (Tivoli, Italy), exemplified by Hadrian’s Villa, reflect elite power and monumentality. Traditionally examined in terms of their architecture and imperial associations, their origins are closely connected with the development of terraced sanctuaries and with processes of senatorial competition, giving rise to a phenomenon that proved decisive in the later Roman Republic. This research proposes a comprehensive digital methodology applied to the Villa of Brutus, integrating architectural analysis, GPR, laser scanning, photogrammetry, and GIS, applied for the first time in one of these Tibur villas. This methodology has been developed and implemented in the southern sector of the villas. Moreover, the application of a comprehensive set of methods to a large and complex site, properly informed by theoretical approaches, has provided valuable insights into its construction phases. A phase predating the villa with the presence of Republican aqueduct, the Anio Vetus (272 BC), a second phase with the construction of a Late Republican basis villae (original construction), so far documented in an area of 997 square meters (sq. m.); and a third phase (dated in 1st-2 nd cent. AD) in which the original villa plan was covered with massive terraces supported by substructions. The latter complex extends over 15,000 sq. m, of which 7,500 sq. m have been studied. The results are presented in this paper.