Paolo Forlin

This paper discusses recent archaeological fieldwork conducted at El Castillejo, a medieval Islamic settlement in Los Guá jares, Granada, southern Spain. Results from combined archaeological excavation and archaeoseismological assessment of standing structures suggest that the site was affected by a destructive earthquake during its occupation. Radiocarbon samples and OSL analysis point to a seismic event in the period CE 1224-1266. The earthquake occurred within an area marked by a 'seismological gap' in terms of historic seismicity and the causative fault has been tentatively identified in the Nigü elas-Padul Fault System which lies north of the settlement. This event is not recorded by national or European seismic catalogues and represents the oldest historic earthquake in the Granada area. Our work stresses the significant impact that targeted archaeological investigations can generate in our understanding of the local historic seismicity, thus providing clear implications for seismic disaster prevention and reduction.

This paper introduces the research of the Armedea project. Armedea (Archaeology of medieval earthquakes in Europe, 1000-1550 AD) is a medieval archaeology project undertaken at the Department of Archaeology of Durham University which analyses archaeological evidence related to late medieval seismic-affected contexts at a European scale. This project is therefore focused on both earthquake effects on archaeological sites, their standing buildings and environment, and the archaeological evidence that reveals the response of medieval societies in terms of risk reduction, protection and resilience. A first preview of GIS analysis of seismic activity impact on medieval societies and fieldwork activities carried out in Italy, Cyprus and Azores (Portugal) is presented here. This research is supported by a Marie Curie Intra European Fellowship within the 7th European Community Framework Programme.

The multidisciplinary research described here shows how archaeologists can help reconstruct past seismic episodes and understand the subsequent relief operation, rehabilitation, and reconstruction processes. In October 1522, a major earthquake and landslide struck the then capital of the Azores, Vila Franca do Campo, 1500 km from the European mainland. Damage was extensive, destroying key monuments, affecting most of the inhabited area, and leaving few survivors among the early colonists. The results from twenty-six archaeological trenches, geological and geoarchaeological investigations, and documentary analysis are reviewed here. Distinctive archaeological deposits are identified and explained, using the high density of artefacts and the erosional contact between the landslide and the pre-1522 palaeosol to reconstruct the episode in detail.

The 2015 Gorkha Earthquake was a humanitarian disaster but also a cultural catastrophe that damaged and destroyed historic monuments across Nepal, including those within the Kathmandu Valley UNESCO World Heritage Property. In the rush to rebuild, traditionally constructed foundations are being removed and replaced with modern materials without assessments of whether these contributed to the collapse of a monument. Generally undertaken without scientific recording , these interventions have led to the irreversible destruction of earlier subsurface phases of cultural activity and the potential loss of evidence for successful traditional seismic adaptations and risk reduction strategies, with no research into whether modern materials, such as concrete and steel, would offer enhanced resilience. In response to this context, multidisciplinary post-disaster investigations were undertaken between 2015 and 2018, including archaeological excavation, geophysical survey , geoarchaeological analysis, linked to architectural and engineering studies, to begin to evaluate and assess the damage to, and seismic adaptations of, historic structures within Nepal's Kathmandu Valley. Where J Seismol

This paper evaluates the application of photogrammetric recording to seismically-affected archaeological sites from the moment of on-site data acquisition through to the analysis of the resulting 3D model. This methodology facilitates (i) rapid but accurate recording of seismically-damaged archaeological contexts, (ii) three-dimensional reconstructions, (iii) the documentation of archeological features (e.g. plans, sections, elevations), and (iv) the extraction of additional information and data for archaeoseismological analysis (DEMs, for instance). Not only is greater detail observed using these methods but it can also be quantified at a distance from the target site, thereby extending the researcher's time in the field. 3D photogrammetry and modelling also reduce the risk that small but significant features such as seismic fractures and deformations are overlooked. This paper draws on evidence from two case studies of the EU-funded ArMedEa project (Archaeology of Medieval Earthquakes in Europe, 1000-1550 AD), namely the Islamic fortified village of El Castillejo (Guajar Faragüit, Granada, Spain) and the crusader castle of Saranda Kolones (Paphos, Cyprus).

This paper aims to analyse the relationship between castles and surrounding landscapes and settlements within the Valsugana and the Val di Cembra, Eastern Trentino, focusing the attention on the land use intensification that was activated during the high and the late Middle Ages. Although the castles did not reshape the preexistent settlement network, the presence of the fortifications produced modifications that landscape archaeology is able to recognize. Many cases demonstrate that castles have been involved with the exploitation of mining areas, pasture and agricultural resources, underlining their role within the rise of a new land use pattern, based also on the economic potentiality of the marginal areas.

"Application of LiDAR derived DTMs has demonstrated great potential in ancient landscape
and site analysis, contributing to unknown data detection, new research strategies
and conservation policy adoption and management. This paper presents the range
of LiDAR data visualisation tools available, suggesting a procedure in DTM analysis able
to optimise visualisation and interpretation of archaeological and geomorphological features,
starting with the research activities developed in Trentino"

In September 2015, the Armedea Project completed the first archaeological evaluation in Vila Franca do Campo, island of São Miguel, Azores (Portugal). The fieldwork was carried out by the Department of Archaeology of Durham University and the Centro de História d’Aquém e d’Além-Mar (CHAM), Universidade Nova de Lisboa - Universidade dos Açores, with the participation of the School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia.

Thanks to national and international historical seismic catalogues, we already know with accuracy where earthquakes occurred during the high and late Middle Ages in Europe. The real unknown is to gauge how great the impact of these seismic events was on societies and their economies.

Natural disasters such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, extreme weather events, and abrupt climate changes are key agents in transforming landscapes, sometimes in largely irreversible ways. From an archaeological perspective, these sudden and unpredictable events are often investigated as part of an ever-popular 'collapse paradigm' or through the paradigm of long-term evolutionary changes. As a counterpoint, this session aims to explore the impact of natural disasters, and the adaptive responses of affected communities, from a landscape archaeological perspective, understanding landscapes in their physical and socio-cultural dimensions. Instead of traditional categories such as 'continuity' and 'discontinuity', we seek to explore more fluid concepts of vulnerability, resilience, cultural change and risk reduction, focusing primarily on how adaptive strategies adopted in the aftermath of natural disasters impacted the cultural and physical fabric of landscapes. We particularly welcome contributions that highlight the creative role played by natural disasters in shaping cultural landscapes, either as 'windows of opportunity' or 'exploitation' (allowing the emergence and proliferation of alternative lifeways), 'stimuli to innovations' (providing new material conditions amenable to the development of innovative ideas) or 'teachable moments' and 'learning reviews' (allowing societies to reflect on their own practices, infrastructures and vulnerabilities). We invite papers that take account of the varied aspects of disaster archaeological research, bringing together case studies, methodological approaches and theoretical perspectives without geographical or chronological restrictions. We also encourage contributions showcasing ideas and reflections on the possible role of archaeological approaches to contemporary risk assessment and hazard communication in disaster-prone regions. Session participants will be invited to contribute to a collective scientific article focused on the creative impacts of natural disasters on ancient societies and the landscapes they inhabited.

2nd-4th December 2016 Rewley House, Oxford

This interdisciplinary conference will explore what happened when natural disasters affected medieval European societies (AD 500-1550). The focus is archaeological and historical but we also aim to bring together geographers, seismologists, climatologists and others to discuss the impacts of rapid onset disasters such as geophysical and hydro-meteorological hazards, among them severe weather, storm surges and flooding, drought, slope failures, volcanic eruptions, seismicity and its secondary effects such as tsunamis and seismic-induced landslides.