Artificial cavities are underground works excavated, built underground, or become underground due to the stratifications of the urban fabric, made by man and spread throughout the world, which are of multidisciplinary interest: historical, archaeological, anthropological, geological, urban, and architectural.

Since these are ancient works that rarely present additions that can be interpreted archaeologically, the speleologist is called upon to identify their function, the period of construction and the different phases of use through the technical structural analysis of the site, the geological and historical-geographical examination of the context, supporting his evaluations with the acquisition of the topographic survey and an in-depth examination of the bibliographic sources. To facilitate the objective, starting from the 80s of the last century, the Italian Commission of Speleology in Artificial Cavities of the Italian Speleological Society ETS produced the Typological Classification of Artificial Cavities, now shared internationally.

OPERA IPOGEA
Journal of Speleology in Artificial Cavities
Memoirs of the Italian Commission of Speleology in Artificial Cavities

A unique journal in the publishing landscape, a testimony and memory of artificial cavities in Italy and around the world. The first Italian periodical in the sector, it was founded in 1999 and guarantees high quality standards thanks in part to a high-profile Scientific Committee. The journal publishes biannually specialized studies and reviews, in Italian and English with extensive bilingual extracts, and is a key reference in related research fields.

It is recognized as a journal of Area 10 “Antiquity, philological-literary and historical-artistic sciences” and classified by the National Agency for the Evaluation of the University System and Research (ANVUR) as a scientific journal relevant for the purposes of the National Scientific Qualification (ASN). Since 2024, it has been published by the publishing house “L’Erma” of Bretschneider.