Pontecagnano is a large Etruscan-Samnite settlement located 8 km SE of Salerno, at the northern edge of the Sele plain. The well-investigated necropolis provided data that made it possible to analyse the structure of the ancient community and reconstruct its long-term development. Over the last few years, after archaeological investigations carried out during roadwork to widen the Salerno-Reggio Calabria highway, a more systematic study of the site was begun. The analysis of archaeological data was combined with environmental and landscape studies, shedding light on the reasons behind the spatial organisation of the settlement, which was influenced by natural or man-made landscape elements such as streams, non-uniform dislocation of geological formations, terraces, roads, canals, etc. The aim of this paper is to illustrate the methods and instruments we used to develop a system that can dynamically combine archaeological and geomorphological data. The paper focuses particularly on the reconstruction of paleo-topographical areas of the ancient settlement. Our investigation outlined the physical and environmental limits within which the old town developed, especially as regards the archaic and classical period. Part of the work was devoted to reconstructing in detail the connections between the modern and the ancient landscape, not only by reading and interpreting the aerial photographs from 1945 to the present-day, but also by analyzing the evidence from the excavations. This approach allowed us to draw up a detailed geomorphologic map of the area of the ancient settlement – part of the GIS platform – and develop a three-dimensional model of the ground (DEM).
Pontecagnano è un grande insediamento etrusco-sannitico situato 8 km a sud-est di Salerno, al margine settentrionale della piana del Sele. La necropoli, estesamente indagata, ha fornito dati che hanno permesso di analizzare l’organizzazione della comunità antica e ricostruirne lo sviluppo nel lungo periodo. Negli ultimi anni, in occasione delle indagini archeologiche effettuate durante i lavori stradali per l’ampliamento dell'autostrada Salerno-Reggio Calabria, è stato avviato uno studio più sistematico del sito. L’analisi dei dati archeologici è stata combinata con studi ambientali e paesaggistici, facendo emergere le logiche sottese all’organizzazione spaziale dell’insediamento, che è stata influenzata da elementi naturali o di origine antropica quali ruscelli, dislocazione non uniforme di formazioni geologiche, terrazze, strade, canali, ecc. Il contributo illustra i metodi e gli strumenti utilizzati per sviluppare un sistema in grado di combinare dinamicamente dati archeologici e geomorfologici, concentrandosi in particolare sulla ricostruzione delle aree paleo-topografiche dell’antico insediamento. L’indagine ha delineato i limiti fisici e ambientali entro cui si è sviluppata la città antica, soprattutto per quanto riguarda il periodo arcaico e classico. Parte del lavoro è stata dedicata alla ricostruzione dettagliata delle relazioni tra il paesaggio moderno e quello antico, valorizzando le fotografie aeree dal 1945 ad oggi e i dati archeologici. Tale approccio ha permesso di elaborare una mappa geomorfologica dettagliata dell’area dell’antico insediamento – parte della piattaforma GIS – e di sviluppare un modello tridimensionale del terreno (DEM).
Contemporary landscape and the archaeological record. An integrated approach to the study of the Etruscan-Samnite site of Pontecagnano (SA)
Pellegrino C.;Rossi Amedeo
2017-01-01
Abstract
Pontecagnano is a large Etruscan-Samnite settlement located 8 km SE of Salerno, at the northern edge of the Sele plain. The well-investigated necropolis provided data that made it possible to analyse the structure of the ancient community and reconstruct its long-term development. Over the last few years, after archaeological investigations carried out during roadwork to widen the Salerno-Reggio Calabria highway, a more systematic study of the site was begun. The analysis of archaeological data was combined with environmental and landscape studies, shedding light on the reasons behind the spatial organisation of the settlement, which was influenced by natural or man-made landscape elements such as streams, non-uniform dislocation of geological formations, terraces, roads, canals, etc. The aim of this paper is to illustrate the methods and instruments we used to develop a system that can dynamically combine archaeological and geomorphological data. The paper focuses particularly on the reconstruction of paleo-topographical areas of the ancient settlement. Our investigation outlined the physical and environmental limits within which the old town developed, especially as regards the archaic and classical period. Part of the work was devoted to reconstructing in detail the connections between the modern and the ancient landscape, not only by reading and interpreting the aerial photographs from 1945 to the present-day, but also by analyzing the evidence from the excavations. This approach allowed us to draw up a detailed geomorphologic map of the area of the ancient settlement – part of the GIS platform – and develop a three-dimensional model of the ground (DEM).I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.