Publication Date:
2021-07-14
Description:
The coasts of Italy still preserve several remnants of coastal quarries built in antiquity, that now provide
insights into the intervening sea-level changes occurred during the last millennia. In this paper, we show
and discuss a new class of sea level indicator consisting of millstones carved along the rocky coast of
southern Italy since 2500 BP, that are currently submerged. They were extracted from beachrocks,
sandstones or similar sedimentary rocks, easier for carving by ancient carving tools. Our study focuses on
10 coastal sites located at Capo d’Orlando, Avola, and Letojanni, in Sicily; Soverato, Tropea, and Capo
dell’Armi, in Calabria; Castellabate, Palinuro, and Scario, in Campania; and Polignano San Vito, in Apulia.
Unfortunately, only limited archaeological information is available for these anthropic structures.
Scario, one of these millstone quarries discussed here, has been dated through independent archaeological
remains, allowing us to restrict the exploitation age to the end of XVII century. Present day elevations
of these coastal sites were obtained through geo-archaeological surveys calibrated using the
nearest tidal stations, together with geomorphological and tectonic interpretations. Data were compared
against the latest sea level predictions based on glacio-hydro-isostatic models. Our results allow proposal
of the age-range of these millstone quarries and to estimate the intervening relative sea level changes
since the time when they were carved.
Description:
Published
Description:
126-142
Description:
3A. Ambiente Marino
Description:
JCR Journal
Description:
restricted
Keywords:
Mediterranean sea, Archaeology, sea level
;
04. Solid Earth::04.04. Geology::04.04.04. Marine geology
Repository Name:
Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV)
Type:
article
Permalink
