Karst landscapes are characterized by lack or scarce presence of water at the surface. Ancient populations had, therefore, to face the issue of water availability by gaining a deep knowledge of the territories where they settled. Several techniques were developed at this aim, until reaching a high level of capability to collect, transport, and distribute water, even at long distances. Many areas in southern Italy still nowadays present hydraulic works of remarkable interest and historical values, most of which develop underground for long stretches. The present paper is an overview of the main ancient works designed and built by man to exploit water resources in karst; it describes some examples of surface channels and underground aqueducts, together with other features used for water storage in karst. The lessons learned from the ability of ancient populations to use water resources in a sustainable way are worthy to be re-evaluated nowadays, in times when we are periodically facing hydric crisis and droughts

This paper presents an integrated analysis using ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) studies to map the Triglio underground aqueduct that in Roman times supplied fresh water to the ancient town of Tarentum, modern Taranto, Apulia region, Italy. The study area includes an expansion project of a nearby limestone quarry where mining activity is related to the production of a steel factory (ILVA). The aim was to develop methods for detection and mapping of the geometry of the underground aqueduct. Seven GPR reflection profiles were acquired across and parallel to the hypothesized extent of the aqueduct, while the ERT method was used to understand the stratigraphy of the area and tie reflections to geological units. Well-preserved vertical shafts for ventilation and inspection of the ancient underground hydraulic work were investigated and used as models for GPR exploration. The GPR profiles, interpreted using both the trace amplitude analysis and the forward modelling, showed reflection features from the main horizontal tunnel of the ancient aqueduct. The void space within the aqueduct, usually the ceiling-air interface, was discovered and mapped using reflections profiles both parallel to the linear feature, but also crossing it, and differentiated from similar looking geological features. Copyright Figure 6. General map of the investigated area, showing in red the route of the Triglio aqueduct and the location of the shafts 1-4, in yellow the GPR profiles R1-R7, and in light blue the area surveyed using electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) (A).Figure 7. Shaft 1 with the underground tunnel (a) and the external structure of shaft 2 (b).Figure 8. Photographs that show the site condition.

Folk karst terminology from Apulia (Southern Italy)Apulia region, in southern Italy, is one of the classical karst areas of the Italian peninsula, being underlain for most of its extension by intensely karstified carbonate rocks. The landscape presents essentially landforms of karstic origin, which have been the object of specific studies for a long time. The three main geographical sub-regions into which Apulia is generally divided (from north to south, the Gargano Promontory, the Murge plateau, and the Salento peninsula) have been characterized in the past centuries by complex and different social and historical events. These resulted in the development, from a linguistical point of view, of very distinct dialects in different parts of Apulia. The terms used to describe the karst landforms, both at the surface and underground, had subsequently been, and still are, extremely variable throughout the region. This paper illustrates some terms used in Apulia to designate and describe the main geomorphological manifestations of the karst landscape. An attempt is made to analyze the terms on the basis of: i) geographical distribution; ii) etymology, with reference to the local dialects; iii) morphological features and genesis of described landforms. Some cases of misuse of terms in the Apulian karst, even in recent times, are also pointed out.

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