The Quirinal Project is an archaeological and archival project that assembles over 100 years of excavation history in the heart of Rome, on the Quirinal Hill, documenting over 2500-years of site use from ca. 600 BCE to the present day. The site is characterized by remains of one of Rome’s earliest monumental domestic structures, part of Rome’s urban circuit wall (the largest ancient urban fortification in the Western Mediterranean), a Republican-era sanctuary, a portion of the Imperial-era Horti Sallustiani, a medieval convent and Early Modern church garden among other structures and activities. These remains were uncovered over the course of four different excavation campaigns beneath the 19th c. Palazzo Canevari, undertaken by different teams of archaeologists with different methods of documentation over thirty-plus years. The project also continues to undertake excavation where essential.
The project aims to synthesize these excavations with those from late 19th and early 20th century excavations beneath Santa Maria della Vittoria, Largo Santa Susanna and the Italian Ministry of Agriculture. Our principal goals are to develop sustainable and replicable methods of archival archaeological assemblage; to continue excavation where necessary; and to coordinate with the Soprintendenza Speciale di Roma on the creation of a new museum on site. The project was begun in 2020 under the co-direction of John North Hopkins (NYU), Mirella Serlorenzi (Soprintendenza Speciale di Roma), and Nicola Terrenato (University of Michigan).
Project specialties and focuses: Interpretation of unpublished excavation data; virtual project with global distribution of participants using web-based database; excavation in Rome; finds analysis (ceramics, mosaics, fresco, faunal, botanical, stone sampling); site photogrammetry and 3D reconstruction; 3D stratigraphic reconstitution.
Contact: John N. Hopkins, Co-Director ( john.hopkins@nyu.edu)
This project accepts graduate students. Interested students should email John Hopkins to inquire about applying.