'There's more than meets the eye': Developing an integrated archaeological approach to reconstruct human-environment dynamics in the Pontine marshes (Lazio, Central Italy)

摘要

In this article, we present the results of a pilot study that adopts an interdisciplinary off-site approach combining detailed surface survey, remote sensing analyses, geophysical prospections, geoarchaeological investigations and palaeoenvironmental analyses to investigate long-term human-environment interactions in the Pontine plain (Lazio, Central Italy). Focusing on a small study area just north of the ancient Roman way station ofAd Medias, in the middle of this former wetland, the developed integrated approach turned out to be very much successful, providing additional information on (a) the interpretation of the surface record in light of landscape and environmental dynamics, (b) the exposure of "hidden landscapes" that date from before the Roman phase of exploitation that is well-attested in the surface archaeological record, and (c) the texture of this Roman landscape, allowing for a more accurate interpretation of both mapped surface materials and the wider context in which these surface sites were set.