Noninvasive geophysical integrated survey at Madonna del Giglio (Sabine necropolis, Magliano Sabina, Latium, Central Italy)

Non-destructive geophysical methods are increasingly used for the investigation of archaeological sites, where a detailed physical and geometrical reconstruction of structures is required in order to explore and document the presence of subsurface structures related to cultural heritage. The aim of this work was to detect buried features in an unexplored area of the Sabine Necropolis (VII-IV Century B.C.) called "Madonna del Giglio" (Latium, central Italy). For the surveys, Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and fluxgate gradiometry methods have been employed. We applied time-slices techniques for GPR data and 2D normalized crosscorrelation on magnetic data in order to obtain a planimetric view at different depths of anomalous bodies. The results obtained with GPR were confirmed by those taken employing fluxgate gradiometry. Furthermore, it should be stressed that the anomalies detected by the GPR are positioned almost on the limit of the plateau of Madonna del Giglio and downhill, towards the residential area of Magliano Sabina, where, in 1992, archaeological excavations revealed the presence of the necropolis, highlighting an extremely unclear stratigraphic situation. The integrated noninvasive geophysical proposed in this study was extremely useful for tracing the complex archaeological framework in order to pursuit cultural heritage preservation and valorization.