Geophysical surveys for the study and recostruction of the sixteenth-century fortifications of Lecce

Within the project for the restoration of the northern section of the sixteenth-century city walls of Lecce, a team of researchers of CNR-IBAM carried out in 2014 and 2015 geophysical surveys aimed at the study and the reconstruction of the moat outside the fortifications. The use of GPR method allowed to detect anomalies related to the main ditch outside the city walls and to characterize the rocky bank in which it was excavated; at the time of the surveys, this ditch was still buried and the results of the geophysical measurements directed the works for its excavation. As well as investigations have allowed to identify also other possible ditches or quarries and more ancient structures, which subsequent archaeological excavations have dated at the Medieval and Roman periods. Moreover, geophysical surveys highlighted the presence of modern walls, corresponding with the foundations of the stadium built in the 1920s close to the city walls.