Il quartiere residenziale di via d’Azeglio a Ravenna: la domus meridionale

The archaeological area of Via D’Azeglio 47 is one of the most archaeologically relevant contexts in late antique Ravenna. It enables tracing the diachronic development of a residential district with its structural and social transformations, and notably the partial transfer of the property to the local Church at the end of the 5th century. From this period onwards, the northern sector of the area and the street that divided two residential blocks were indeed incorporated into a monumental ensemble that could be interpreted as the annexes of the basilica of St. Euphemia. On the contrary, the southern sector continued to be used with its original residential functions. It consisted of a large domus accessible from the northwest and east. Here eight rooms, partly mosaic-covered, and a courtyard have been identified. The dwelling shows a stratigraphic sequence from the Augustan age to the early Middle Ages. In this paper new data about the late antique phases are presented. A reassessment of the chronological sequence with the identification of two settlement phases (Period 3, after the beginning of the 5th century, and Period 4, mid-6th century) is now secured by a precise re-examination of the material culture, which also allows for a better understanding of the socio-economic status of the house and its owner(s) over time.