Abstract
In this paper, we present the results of a multidisciplinary study aimed to reconstruct the Roman coastal landscape between Pizzofalcone hill and Megaris islet—the area of the ancient Parthenope, the first settlement along the Naples coast. This coastal sector was surveyed by a team of specialized divers (archaeologists and geomorphologists) and by using an Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) equipped with acoustic and optical sensors. The indirect surveys provided a high-resolution dataset of morpho-acoustic and optical measurements, useful to obtain the geological, geomorphological and archaeological interpretations necessary to formulate hypotheses on the functionality of the complex submerged archaeological structure detected in the study area. In particular, the integration between the surveyed data, the high-resolution seafloor mapping and the previous knowledge deriving from the 1980s underwater research carried out by Centro Studi Subacquei, led us to interpret the submerged remains as a vivarium related to a 1st century BC Roman villa. Finally, by measuring the submersion of several channels and a well-preserved crepido, a relative sea level during the period of use at −2.2 m ± 0.2 m mean sea level (MSL) was deduced, in agreement with the previous geoarchaeological studies realized in the near coastal sectors.
Highlights
The first Greek settlement along the coasts of the Naples Gulf (Southern Italy) was located on Pizzofalcone hill—the so-called “Parthenope” city—dates back to the 7th century BC
The study of the Late Holocene evolution of Neapolis coastal sector and its surroundings has made considerable progress in the last years thanks to the excavations of the new subway, offering the possibility to collect large amounts of stratigraphic and biosedimentological data. These studies have shed new light on the presence and configuration of the Greco–Roman harbor of Neapolis, as well as new data about the vertical ground movement that affected this area in the last millennia producing metric relative sea level changes [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9]
The human presence on the islet of Megaris can be probably related to the Greek settlement in the Bay of Naples, considering the proximity with the sites of the Palaiopolis, on the hill of Pizzofalcone-Monte Echia (VII century BC, [14]), and the mythological tradition possibly locating one of the Siren rocks in this part of the Neapolitan coast
Summary
The first Greek settlement along the coasts of the Naples Gulf (Southern Italy) was located on Pizzofalcone hill—the so-called “Parthenope” city (from the name of a mermaid believed visible on the fascinating Megaris islet)—dates back to the 7th century BC. 79 AD Vesuvius eruption, the commercial basin remained active throughout the Roman period as testified by the construction of piers within the harbor basin in the 1st century AD. The subPlinian Vesuvius eruption in 472 AD and the subsequent increase of alluvial input related to strong on slope hydrogeological destabilization induced the final closure of the bay As testified by several remains detected during excavations, the southern sectors Age both on the hill of Pizzofalcone in intense activity harbor since itsduring foundation [8].
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