The Campi Flegrei volcano (or Phlegraean Fields) of Campania, Italy, is the site of the largest e... more The Campi Flegrei volcano (or Phlegraean Fields) of Campania, Italy, is the site of the largest eruption from a European volcano in at least 200 ka. Here we summarise the volcanic and human history of Campi Flegrei and discuss the interactions between humans and the environment within the “burning fields" from around 10,000 years until the 1538 CE Monte Nuovo eruption. The region’s incredibly rich written history documents how the landscape changed both naturally and anthropogenically, with the volcanic system fuelling these considerable natural changes. Humans have exploited the beautiful landscape, accessible resources (e.g., volcanic ash for pulvis puteolana mortar) and natural thermal springs associated with the volcano for millennia, but they have also endured the downsides of living in a volcanically active region—earthquakes, significant ground deformation and landscape altering eruptions. The pre-historic record is detailed, and various archaeological sites indicate that the region was certainly occupied in the last 10,000 years. This history has been reconstructed by identifying archaeological finds in sequences that often contain ash (tephra) layers from some of the numerous volcanic eruptions from Campi Flegrei and the other volcanoes in the region that were active at the time (Vesuvius and Ischia). These tephra layers provide both a relative and absolute chronology and allow the archaeology to be placed on a relatively precise timescale. The records testify that people have inhabited the area even when Campi Flegrei was particularly active. The archaeological sequences and outcrops of pyroclastic material preserve details about the eruption dynamics, buildings from Roman times, impressive craters that now host volcanic lakes and nature reserves, all of which make this region particularly mystic and fascinating, especially when we observe how society continues to live within the active caldera system. The volcanic activity and long record of occupation and use of volcanic resources in the region make it unique and here we outline key aspects of its geoheritage
A brief summary of the activities carried out during the AIQUA 2013 Summer School held from the 2... more A brief summary of the activities carried out during the AIQUA 2013 Summer School held from the 27 th to 31 st May 2013 at the Vesuvius Observatory. The course provided an opportunity for students and researchers from different academic backgrounds to present and discuss topics of great scientific and human interest concerning the impact of volcanic eruptions on people and the landscape , starting from actual examples in the vicinity of Naples.
The Campi Flegrei volcano (or Phlegraean Fields), Campania, Italy, generated the largest eruption... more The Campi Flegrei volcano (or Phlegraean Fields), Campania, Italy, generated the largest eruption in Europe in at least 200 ka. Here we summarise the volcanic and human history of Campi Flegrei and discuss the interactions between humans and the environment within the “burning fields” from around 10,000 years until the 1538 CE Monte Nuovo eruption and more recent times. The region’s incredibly rich written history documents how the landscape changed both naturally and anthropogenically, with the volcanic system fuelling these considerable natural changes. Humans have exploited the beautiful landscape, accessible resources (e.g. volcanic ash for pulvis puteolana mortar) and natural thermal springs associated with the volcano for millennia, but they have also endured the downsides of living in a volcanically active region—earthquakes, significant ground deformation and landscape altering eruptions. The pre-historic record is detailed, and various archaeological sites indicate that the...
Abstract The Pomici di Avellino eruption is the Plinian event of Vesuvius with the highest territ... more Abstract The Pomici di Avellino eruption is the Plinian event of Vesuvius with the highest territorial impact. It affected an area densely inhabited by Early Bronze Age human communities and resulted in the long-term abandonment of an extensive zone surrounding the volcano. Traces of human life beneath the eruption products are very common throughout the Campania Region. A systematic review of the available archaeological data, the study of geological and archaeological sequences exposed in excavations, and the reconstruction of the volcanic phenomena affecting single sites has yielded an understanding of local effects and their duration. The archaeological and volcanological analyses have shown that the territory was rapidly abandoned before and during the eruption, with rare post-eruption attempts at resettlement of the same sites inhabited previously. The definition of the distribution and stratigraphy of alluvial deposits in many of the studied sequences leads us to hypothesise that the scarce presence of humans during phases 1 and 2 of the Middle Bronze Age in the wide area affected by the eruption was due to diffuse phenomena of remobilisation of the eruption products, generating long-lasting alluvial processes. These were favoured by the deposition of loose fine pyroclastic material on the slopes of the volcano and the Apennines, and by climatic conditions. A significant resettlement of the territory occurred only hundreds of years after the Pomici di Avellino eruption, during phase 3 of the Middle Bronze Age. This study show the role of volcanic and related phenomena from a Plinian event in the settlement dynamics of a complex territory like Campania.
Contribution of Radiocarbon Dating to the Chronology of Eneolithic in Campania (Italy) The paper ... more Contribution of Radiocarbon Dating to the Chronology of Eneolithic in Campania (Italy) The paper presents new and important 14C data from eight Eneolithic sites in Campania measured at the Centre for Isotopic Research of Cultural and Environmental Heritage (CIRCE) AMS laboratory in Caserta (Italy). Twenty-four 14C determinations on bone and charcoal are used here for chronological reconstruction of human habitation and dating of some volcanic eruptions affecting the settlement activity. Our research has shed new light on absolute chronology of the whole Campanian Eneolithic, a period of profound cultural transformations triggered by introduction and use of metals, in particular copper.
The Campi Flegrei volcano (or Phlegraean Fields), Campania, Italy, generated the largest eruption... more The Campi Flegrei volcano (or Phlegraean Fields), Campania, Italy, generated the largest eruption in Europe in at least 200 ka. Here we summarise the volcanic and human history of Campi Flegrei and discuss the interactions between humans and the environment within the "burning fields" from around 10,000 years until the 1538 CE Monte Nuovo eruption and more recent times. The region's incredibly rich written history documents how the landscape changed both naturally and anthropogenically, with the volcanic system fuelling these considerable natural changes. Humans have exploited the beautiful landscape, accessible resources (e.g. volcanic ash for pulvis puteolana mortar) and natural thermal springs associated with the volcano for millennia, but they have also endured the downsides of living in a volcanically active region-earthquakes, significant ground deformation and landscape altering eruptions. The prehistoric record is detailed, and various archaeological sites indicate that the region was certainly occupied in the last 10,000 years. This history has been reconstructed by identifying archaeological finds in sequences that often contain ash (tephra) layers from some of the numerous volcanic eruptions from Campi Flegrei and the other volcanoes in the region that were active at the time (Vesuvius and Ischia). These tephra layers provide both a relative and absolute chronology and allow the archaeology to be placed on a relatively precise timescale. The records testify that people have inhabited the area even when Campi Flegrei was particularly active. The archaeological sequences and outcrops of pyroclastic material preserve details about the eruption dynamics, buildings from Roman times, impressive craters that now host volcanic lakes and nature reserves, all of which make this region particularly mystic and fascinating, especially when we observe how society continues to live within the active caldera system. The volcanic activity and long record of occupation and use of volcanic resources in the region make it unique and here we outline key aspects of its geoheritage.
Negli ultimi anni, si sono sviluppate differenti metodologie archeometriche, capaci di effettuare... more Negli ultimi anni, si sono sviluppate differenti metodologie archeometriche, capaci di effettuare datazioni su reperti provenienti da differenti siti archeologici, in particolare per ricostruire ed identificare differenti culture che si sono succedute in Italia in millenni attraverso una ...
The Pomici di Avellino eruption is the Plinian event of Vesuvius with the highest territorial imp... more The Pomici di Avellino eruption is the Plinian event of Vesuvius with the highest territorial impact. It affected an area densely inhabited by Early Bronze Age human communities and resulted in the long-term abandonment of an extensive zone surrounding the volcano. Traces of human life beneath the eruption products are very common throughout the Campania Region. A systematic review of the available archaeological data, the study of geological and archaeological sequences exposed in excavations , and the reconstruction of the volcanic phenomena affecting single sites has yielded an understanding of local effects and their duration. The archaeological and volcanological analyses have shown that the territory was rapidly abandoned before and during the eruption, with rare post-eruption attempts at resettlement of the same sites inhabited previously. The definition of the distribution and stratigraphy of alluvial deposits in many of the studied sequences leads us to hypothesise that the scarce presence of humans during phases 1 and 2 of the Middle Bronze Age in the wide area affected by the eruption was due to diffuse phenomena of remobilisation of the eruption products, generating long-lasting alluvial processes. These were favoured by the deposition of loose fine pyroclastic material on the slopes of the volcano and the Apennines, and by climatic conditions. A significant resettlement of the territory occurred only hundreds of years after the Pomici di Avellino eruption, during phase 3 of the Middle Bronze Age. This study show the role of volcanic and related phenomena from a Plinian event in the settlement dynamics of a complex territory like Campania.
The Avellino Pumices eruption was one of the most catastrophic volcanic events of Somma-Vesuvius,... more The Avellino Pumices eruption was one of the most catastrophic volcanic events of Somma-Vesuvius, which hit prehistoric communities during the Early Bronze Age. In the last 30 yr, several authors reported assessments about its chronology, including radiocarbon ...
In L'età del rame in Italia, Atti della XLIII riunione scientifica IIPP (Bologna 2008), Firenze 2... more In L'età del rame in Italia, Atti della XLIII riunione scientifica IIPP (Bologna 2008), Firenze 2011, pp. 87-94.
The Campi Flegrei volcano (or Phlegraean Fields) of Campania, Italy, is the site of the largest e... more The Campi Flegrei volcano (or Phlegraean Fields) of Campania, Italy, is the site of the largest eruption from a European volcano in at least 200 ka. Here we summarise the volcanic and human history of Campi Flegrei and discuss the interactions between humans and the environment within the “burning fields" from around 10,000 years until the 1538 CE Monte Nuovo eruption. The region’s incredibly rich written history documents how the landscape changed both naturally and anthropogenically, with the volcanic system fuelling these considerable natural changes. Humans have exploited the beautiful landscape, accessible resources (e.g., volcanic ash for pulvis puteolana mortar) and natural thermal springs associated with the volcano for millennia, but they have also endured the downsides of living in a volcanically active region—earthquakes, significant ground deformation and landscape altering eruptions. The pre-historic record is detailed, and various archaeological sites indicate that the region was certainly occupied in the last 10,000 years. This history has been reconstructed by identifying archaeological finds in sequences that often contain ash (tephra) layers from some of the numerous volcanic eruptions from Campi Flegrei and the other volcanoes in the region that were active at the time (Vesuvius and Ischia). These tephra layers provide both a relative and absolute chronology and allow the archaeology to be placed on a relatively precise timescale. The records testify that people have inhabited the area even when Campi Flegrei was particularly active. The archaeological sequences and outcrops of pyroclastic material preserve details about the eruption dynamics, buildings from Roman times, impressive craters that now host volcanic lakes and nature reserves, all of which make this region particularly mystic and fascinating, especially when we observe how society continues to live within the active caldera system. The volcanic activity and long record of occupation and use of volcanic resources in the region make it unique and here we outline key aspects of its geoheritage
A brief summary of the activities carried out during the AIQUA 2013 Summer School held from the 2... more A brief summary of the activities carried out during the AIQUA 2013 Summer School held from the 27 th to 31 st May 2013 at the Vesuvius Observatory. The course provided an opportunity for students and researchers from different academic backgrounds to present and discuss topics of great scientific and human interest concerning the impact of volcanic eruptions on people and the landscape , starting from actual examples in the vicinity of Naples.
The Campi Flegrei volcano (or Phlegraean Fields), Campania, Italy, generated the largest eruption... more The Campi Flegrei volcano (or Phlegraean Fields), Campania, Italy, generated the largest eruption in Europe in at least 200 ka. Here we summarise the volcanic and human history of Campi Flegrei and discuss the interactions between humans and the environment within the “burning fields” from around 10,000 years until the 1538 CE Monte Nuovo eruption and more recent times. The region’s incredibly rich written history documents how the landscape changed both naturally and anthropogenically, with the volcanic system fuelling these considerable natural changes. Humans have exploited the beautiful landscape, accessible resources (e.g. volcanic ash for pulvis puteolana mortar) and natural thermal springs associated with the volcano for millennia, but they have also endured the downsides of living in a volcanically active region—earthquakes, significant ground deformation and landscape altering eruptions. The pre-historic record is detailed, and various archaeological sites indicate that the...
Abstract The Pomici di Avellino eruption is the Plinian event of Vesuvius with the highest territ... more Abstract The Pomici di Avellino eruption is the Plinian event of Vesuvius with the highest territorial impact. It affected an area densely inhabited by Early Bronze Age human communities and resulted in the long-term abandonment of an extensive zone surrounding the volcano. Traces of human life beneath the eruption products are very common throughout the Campania Region. A systematic review of the available archaeological data, the study of geological and archaeological sequences exposed in excavations, and the reconstruction of the volcanic phenomena affecting single sites has yielded an understanding of local effects and their duration. The archaeological and volcanological analyses have shown that the territory was rapidly abandoned before and during the eruption, with rare post-eruption attempts at resettlement of the same sites inhabited previously. The definition of the distribution and stratigraphy of alluvial deposits in many of the studied sequences leads us to hypothesise that the scarce presence of humans during phases 1 and 2 of the Middle Bronze Age in the wide area affected by the eruption was due to diffuse phenomena of remobilisation of the eruption products, generating long-lasting alluvial processes. These were favoured by the deposition of loose fine pyroclastic material on the slopes of the volcano and the Apennines, and by climatic conditions. A significant resettlement of the territory occurred only hundreds of years after the Pomici di Avellino eruption, during phase 3 of the Middle Bronze Age. This study show the role of volcanic and related phenomena from a Plinian event in the settlement dynamics of a complex territory like Campania.
Contribution of Radiocarbon Dating to the Chronology of Eneolithic in Campania (Italy) The paper ... more Contribution of Radiocarbon Dating to the Chronology of Eneolithic in Campania (Italy) The paper presents new and important 14C data from eight Eneolithic sites in Campania measured at the Centre for Isotopic Research of Cultural and Environmental Heritage (CIRCE) AMS laboratory in Caserta (Italy). Twenty-four 14C determinations on bone and charcoal are used here for chronological reconstruction of human habitation and dating of some volcanic eruptions affecting the settlement activity. Our research has shed new light on absolute chronology of the whole Campanian Eneolithic, a period of profound cultural transformations triggered by introduction and use of metals, in particular copper.
The Campi Flegrei volcano (or Phlegraean Fields), Campania, Italy, generated the largest eruption... more The Campi Flegrei volcano (or Phlegraean Fields), Campania, Italy, generated the largest eruption in Europe in at least 200 ka. Here we summarise the volcanic and human history of Campi Flegrei and discuss the interactions between humans and the environment within the "burning fields" from around 10,000 years until the 1538 CE Monte Nuovo eruption and more recent times. The region's incredibly rich written history documents how the landscape changed both naturally and anthropogenically, with the volcanic system fuelling these considerable natural changes. Humans have exploited the beautiful landscape, accessible resources (e.g. volcanic ash for pulvis puteolana mortar) and natural thermal springs associated with the volcano for millennia, but they have also endured the downsides of living in a volcanically active region-earthquakes, significant ground deformation and landscape altering eruptions. The prehistoric record is detailed, and various archaeological sites indicate that the region was certainly occupied in the last 10,000 years. This history has been reconstructed by identifying archaeological finds in sequences that often contain ash (tephra) layers from some of the numerous volcanic eruptions from Campi Flegrei and the other volcanoes in the region that were active at the time (Vesuvius and Ischia). These tephra layers provide both a relative and absolute chronology and allow the archaeology to be placed on a relatively precise timescale. The records testify that people have inhabited the area even when Campi Flegrei was particularly active. The archaeological sequences and outcrops of pyroclastic material preserve details about the eruption dynamics, buildings from Roman times, impressive craters that now host volcanic lakes and nature reserves, all of which make this region particularly mystic and fascinating, especially when we observe how society continues to live within the active caldera system. The volcanic activity and long record of occupation and use of volcanic resources in the region make it unique and here we outline key aspects of its geoheritage.
Negli ultimi anni, si sono sviluppate differenti metodologie archeometriche, capaci di effettuare... more Negli ultimi anni, si sono sviluppate differenti metodologie archeometriche, capaci di effettuare datazioni su reperti provenienti da differenti siti archeologici, in particolare per ricostruire ed identificare differenti culture che si sono succedute in Italia in millenni attraverso una ...
The Pomici di Avellino eruption is the Plinian event of Vesuvius with the highest territorial imp... more The Pomici di Avellino eruption is the Plinian event of Vesuvius with the highest territorial impact. It affected an area densely inhabited by Early Bronze Age human communities and resulted in the long-term abandonment of an extensive zone surrounding the volcano. Traces of human life beneath the eruption products are very common throughout the Campania Region. A systematic review of the available archaeological data, the study of geological and archaeological sequences exposed in excavations , and the reconstruction of the volcanic phenomena affecting single sites has yielded an understanding of local effects and their duration. The archaeological and volcanological analyses have shown that the territory was rapidly abandoned before and during the eruption, with rare post-eruption attempts at resettlement of the same sites inhabited previously. The definition of the distribution and stratigraphy of alluvial deposits in many of the studied sequences leads us to hypothesise that the scarce presence of humans during phases 1 and 2 of the Middle Bronze Age in the wide area affected by the eruption was due to diffuse phenomena of remobilisation of the eruption products, generating long-lasting alluvial processes. These were favoured by the deposition of loose fine pyroclastic material on the slopes of the volcano and the Apennines, and by climatic conditions. A significant resettlement of the territory occurred only hundreds of years after the Pomici di Avellino eruption, during phase 3 of the Middle Bronze Age. This study show the role of volcanic and related phenomena from a Plinian event in the settlement dynamics of a complex territory like Campania.
The Avellino Pumices eruption was one of the most catastrophic volcanic events of Somma-Vesuvius,... more The Avellino Pumices eruption was one of the most catastrophic volcanic events of Somma-Vesuvius, which hit prehistoric communities during the Early Bronze Age. In the last 30 yr, several authors reported assessments about its chronology, including radiocarbon ...
In L'età del rame in Italia, Atti della XLIII riunione scientifica IIPP (Bologna 2008), Firenze 2... more In L'età del rame in Italia, Atti della XLIII riunione scientifica IIPP (Bologna 2008), Firenze 2011, pp. 87-94.
Uploads