Le sete del patriarca Fortunato

Beached swords from Marano Lagoon (northern Adriatic) reveal ancient land–sea connections and recent coastal evolution

“…Since Roman times, Marano Lagoon was densely occupied along its fringes and constituted an important commercial terminal. Long‐distance trades with different Mediterranean regions are demonstrated by amphorae and pottery found on several islands of the lagoon as well as at Aquileia and Grado, dated to a period spanning from around the first to the beginning of the seventh centuries CE (Auriemma et al, 2013; Marano, 2022: 53–54, passim ). Similar imported materials found in Udine, in the inland of Friuli, point to the existence of a minor road connecting the two areas in Late Antiquity (Arthur, 1990; Buora, 1990).…”

“…This strategic position underlay the extraordinary flourishing of maritime cities in historical times, such as Aquileia, Grado, Altinum and Venice, located in easy‐to‐reach brackish lagoonal environments. Whilst a long tradition of archaeological and historical studies has focused on these important centres (e.g., Bertacchi, 2003; Gelichi, 2021; Marano, 2022: 47–90; Mozzi et al, 2016), little is known about the occupation of the northern Adriatic coasts in Roman and medieval times. Available written sources report of minor harbours and settlements located east of Venice in the largest lagoon system of the area (the Grado‐Marano Lagoon), which acquired considerable economic and political influence during the Middle Ages.…”