Remote Sensing, Archaeological, and Geophysical Data to Study the Terramare Settlements: The Case Study of Fondo Paviani (Northern Italy)

Abstract

During the Middle and Recent Bronze Age, the Po Plain and, more broadly Northern Italy were populated by the so-called “Terramare”, embanked settlements, surrounded by a moat. The buried remains of these archaeological settlements are characterized by the presence of a system of palaeo-environments and a consequent natural gradient in soil moisture content. These differences in the soil are often firstly detectable on the surface during the seasonal variations, with aerial, satellite, and Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) images, without any information on the lateral and in-depth extension of the related buried structures. The variation in the moisture content of soils is directly related to their differences in electrical conductivity. Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and frequency domain electromagnetic (FDEM), also known as electromagnetic induction (EMI) measurements, provide non-direct measurements of electrical conductivity in the soils, helping in the reconstruction of the geometry of different buried structures. This study presents the results of the multidisciplinary approach adopted to the study of the Terramare settlement of Fondo Paviani in Northern Italy. Remote sensing and archaeological data, collected over about 10 years, combined with more recent ERT and FDEM measurements, contributed to the analysis of this particular, not yet wholly investigated, archaeological site. The results obtained by the integrated multidisciplinary study here adopted, provide new useful, interesting information for the archaeologists also suggesting future strategies for new studies still to be conducted around this important settlement.

The largest prehistoric mound in Europe is the Bronze-Age Hill of Udine (Italy) and legend linked its origin to Attila the Hun

“…Our multidisciplinary approach allowed the investigation of sedimentary bodies and ancient surfaces that are largely inaccessible with conventional archaeological excavation. In particular, as already shown in studies of the origins of other prehistoric mounds and urban contexts 42 – 44 , the detailed study of stratigraphic cores was key to distinguishing natural and anthropogenic sediments. Our data show that the size and shape of the Udine Castle Hill are unparalleled in later Bronze Age communities of Europe.…”

“…Beyond northern Italy, fortifications constructed with wooden gabions filled with rubble are attested also in central-eastern Europe at several settlements of the Lausitz culture 45 . It may be that this technique developed as a result of the unprecedented growth of network of trade and interconnections among the communities in the second part of the Bronze Age at European scale 42 .…”

Non-Invasive Survey Techniques to Study Nuragic Archaeological Sites: The Nanni Arrù Case Study (Sardinia, Italy)

“…The integration of data from satellite observation, drone-deployed sensors, and geophysical methods has been carried out in some archaeological studies [19][20][21][22][23][24].…”

Forward Electromagnetic Induction Modelling in a Multilayered Half-Space: An Open-Source Software Tool

“…Electromagnetic induction (EMI) methods are proximal and remote sensing methods, among the most popular in near-surface geophysics investigation. They have been successfully used, often in combination with other geophysical techniques, in many areas spanning from environmental and hydro-geophysical investigations [1][2][3][4] to the characterization and monitoring of dismissed municipal and industrial solid waste landfills [5][6][7][8], from the quantitative evaluation of soil salinity and its spatial distribution [9][10][11][12][13] to soil water content monitoring [14][15][16][17][18], from sedimentology and soil studies [19][20][21][22] to archaeology [23][24][25][26][27], just to name a few.…”