Relazioni tra geomorfologia, processi post-deposizionali e visibilità del suolo nella lettura dei dati di prospezione archeologica

Oscar Belvedere, Aurelio Burgio, Rosa Maria Cucco, Daniela Lauro

«Archeologia e Calcolatori» 2005, 16, 129-152

Abstract

This paper takes into examination two different districts of the vast area investigated by the archaeological survey of the hinterland of the ancient Greek colony of Himera: the coastal area between the northern Imera and Rocella rivers and the hilly watershed zone located between the northern Imera, southern Imera and Platani rivers. The study examines the relationships between geomorphology, post-depositional processes and visibility of the ground and their impact on the interpretation of data collected during the archaeological survey and, consequently, on the historical reconstruction of the population of the territory from Prehistory to the Middle Ages. Three aspects in particular have been taken into consideration: a) the impact of geomorphology on the recognition of archaeological traces; b) the relationship between geomorphology and visibility of archaeological finds; c) the role of the geomorphological and/or of the human factors in the selection of areas to be settled. Our conclusion is that the geomorphological context assumes a major role in the selection of areas of settlement, while the visibility of the ground seems to affect not only the number of archaeological finds, but also their legibility and interpretation.

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