How geomorphological processes conditioned the historical evolution of the Greek-Roman city of Tyndaris (Messina Province, Northern Sicily, Italy)

Abstract

<p>According to Pliny the Elder, ancient Tyndaris, one of the most important Greek-Roman colonies overlooking the southern Tyrrhenian Sea, rapidly declined in the First Century AD because of natural disasters. In Naturalis Historia, he dedicated an entire chapter to the cities carried away by sea storms and waves. Historical bibliographic research and a geomorphological survey have been performed to shed light on the occurred phenomena, flanked by UAV flights and photogrammetry. The nadir and off-nadir UAV flights allowed to observe out-of-reach areas of Tyndaris promontory. The generation of a high-resolution DSM and orthophotos and the export of the 3D model provided a basis for the structural analysis of the coastal cliff and allowed to map geomorphological elements. In particular, the fieldwork along the coastline highlighted landforms related to gravity as rockfall, rock avalanche and debris flow deposits rich of archaeological remains. The results gave clear information on how the geomorphological evolution weighed upon Tyndaris urban features.</p>