Combining earth sciences with archaeology to investigate natural risks related to the cultural heritage of the Marsica region (central Apennines, Italy)

Abstract

Methods of Earth Sciences have been employed in archaeological sites of the Marsica region, central Italy, in two different perspectives: to enhance knowledge on past natural events which damaged/destroyed ancient settlements/monuments and to gather data useful/necessary for preservation of the local cultural heritage. Within this wide perspective, the paper deals with (i) recent archaeoseismological investigations at Alba Fucens and other sites of the Fucino Plain which add evidence of sudden building collapse to the already available (archaeoseismological and paleoseismological) data concerning seismicity of fifth-sixth century AD; (ii) archaeological investigations on remains of the Medieval church of San Bartolomeo showing that coseismic damage in 1349 caused the abandonment of part of the building and its (re)use for burials; (iii) evidence of slope instability which caused rapid mass deposition in the lowest sector of ancient Alba Fucens since around the half of the sixth century AD, inhibiting the occupation of the Roman town; (iv) capable faulting potentially affecting the westernmost sector of the huge hydraulic works made by Romans during the first-second century AD to drain former Lake Fucino.

Ruins and Remains as a Background: Natural Catastrophes, Abandonment of Medieval Villages, and the Perspective of Civilization during the 20th Century in the Central Apennines (Abruzzi Region, Central Italy)

“…Occupation of Piano di Civita and use of the remains of the ancient town continued after the catastrophe probably until the Early Middle Ages, when the valley was progressively filled by sediment derived from repeated episodes of mass deposition. This has been documented by geoarchaeological investigations on the colluvial sediments covering the archaeological remains [59]. The sediment deposition fed from the adjacent unstable slopes was presumably one of the reasons for the foundation of the medieval village on the San Nicola rocky hill (red ellipse in Figure 6a).…”

“…A destructive earthquake, currently attributed to 484 or 508 AD, is considered to be one of the events that strongly conditioned the latest period of Alba Fucens. The archaeological literature, based on data from excavations between 1949 and 2020, reports widespread evidence of the destruction [59]. Occupation of Piano di Civita and use of the remains of the ancient town continued after the catastrophe probably until the Early Middle Ages, when the valley was progressively filled by sediment derived from repeated episodes of mass deposition.…”

Geo-archaeology, archaeometry, and history of a seismic-endangered historical site in central Apennines (Italy)

“…A multidisciplinary approach involving geologists, archaeologists, cultural heritage conservators, and art historians allows a comprehensive investigation of the St. Angel Cave site (Palombaro, Abruzzo Region, Italy). The study of this archaeological site combines the interpretation of ancient pagan and Christian worship, variations of ecclesial properties, and seismic damages, adding new items to archaeoseismic cases history in Italy [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. This study is based on a comprehensive archaeometry analysis of the archaeological findings and the philological study of relevant chronicles.…”

A Case Study of Multidisciplinary Surface Faulting Assessment in the Urbanized Fucino Basin, Italy

“…Although in Italy fault displacement represents a serious hazard for many towns and man-made infrastructures close to capable faults (e.g., Testa et al, 2021), the scientific literature presents few studies investigating capable faults localised within already urbanised areas (e.g., Galli et al, 2005;Maceroni et al, 2018;Galadini et al, 2022). In order to contribute to fill this gap, this paper presents one of the first approaches to investigate capable faults in urban areas in the Italian territory.…”