Ancient Topography of the Mid Calore Valley: the City of Aeclanum and its Territory

Abstract

The study area is located in the mid Calore valley, between the Calore and the Ufita Rivers. From prehistoric times, the territory has constituted an important crossroad among Campania, Apulia and Lucania, ensuring a connection between the Tyrrenian and Adriatic coast. The importance of the area grew with the construction of the via Appia, in the third century BC. Along its route, as documented by itinerary sources, in the early first century BC the municipium of Aeclanum (Passo di Mirabella – Mirabella Eclano, AV) was founded. A significant part of the research project regards this city: archaeological field surveys were carried out in the urban area and along the city walls, still partially preserved, with the aim to clarify its route. The new collected data were georeferenced in an aerophotogrammetric map, together with the data deriving from 1960s archaeological excavations and systematic study of archival documents of the Superintendence of Salerno, Avellino, Benevento and Caserta Province. The map was realised in the LabTAF of the University of Salento and constitutes the first large scale archaeological map of the ancient city. Systematic archaeological field walking was carried out on the territory corresponding partially to the ager Aeclanensis. It aimed at the reconstruction of the ancient topography of the territory surrounding the Roman site thanks to the large number of settlements documented. These settlements attest to the inhabitation of the area since the prehistoric and proto-historic times to the Medieval period. All collected data are georeferenced in the archaeological map that also allows diachronic analyses of the territory.