Geophysics Applied to Landscape Archaeology: Understanding Samnite and Roman Relationships in Molise (Italy) Using Geoarchaeological Research Methods

Pier Matteo Barone; Carlotta Ferrara

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ija.s.2015030101.14

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Geophysics Applied to Landscape Archaeology: Understanding Samnite and Roman Relationships in Molise (Italy) Using Geoarchaeological Research Methods

Pier Matteo Barone, Carlotta Ferrara

Published in International Journal of Archaeology (Volume 3, Issue 1-1)

Received: 10 December 2014 Accepted: 13 December 2014 Published: 27 December 2014

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Abstract

The Italian region of Molise features clear evidence of the people who have conquered it, inhabited it, tilled it, abandoned it, and reoccupied it. This research, focusing on the coastal area of Molise, attempts to show that the Samnite to Roman transition was not as violent as reported by the historian Livy (e.g., the Samnitic wars). Instead, the transition progressed as a gradual social, political, and cultural evolution. The geoarchaeological analysis of several sample sites helps to demonstrate this hypothesis by emphasizing how the landscape of coastal Molise changed during this particular historical period (i.e., between the sixth and fourth centuries BC). The use of geophysical methods (using both ground penetrating radar (GPR) and gradiometer techniques) in several coastal sites (Guglionesi, San Giacomo degli Schiavoni and San Martino in Pensilis) reveals settlement similarities between Samnite and Roman sites from a strategic and economic point of view. Moreover, this integrated study reveals that the traditional antagonistic relationship between these two populations in this period did not preclude a sort of mutual respect, which allowed this Italic population to be incorporated and assimilated into the Roman world without being completely destroyed and lost.

Published in	International Journal of Archaeology (Volume 3, Issue 1-1) This article belongs to the Special Issue Archaeological Sciences
DOI	10.11648/j.ija.s.2015030101.14
Page(s)	26-36
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2014. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Geoarchaeological Research Methods, GPR, Gradiometer, Landscape Archaeology, Molise

References

[1]	E.T. Salmon, “Samnium and the Samnite”, Cambridge University Press, 1967.
[2]	G. Tagliamonte, “I Sanniti. Caudini, Irpini, Pentri, Carricini, Frentani”, Longanesi & C., 1997, Omegna.
[3]	G. Barker “A Mediterranean valley. Landscape archaeology and Annales history in the Biferno Valley”, 1995a, London.
[4]	G. Barker “The Biferno Valley Survey. The archaeological and geomorphological record”, 1995b, London.
[5]	G. Barker and R. Hodges “Archaeology and Italian Society. Prehistoric, Roman and Medieval Studies”, BAR International Series 102, Oxford, 1981.
[6]	J. Patterson, “Samnium under the Roman Empire”, in J. Howard Jones (ed.), “SAMNIUM - settlement and cultural change”, Archaeologia Transatlantica XXII, Brown University, Providence.
[7]	R. Hodges, S. Gibson, and J. Mitchell, “The making of a monastic city. The architecture of San Vincenzo al Volturno in the ninth century”, in Papers of the British School at Rome, 65, London, pp. 233-286.
[8]	G. De Benedittis, “Gli insediamenti italici nell’area della Tavola di Agnone: il punto della situazione”, in L. Palma (ed.), “La tavola di Agnone nel contesto italico”, Cosmo Iannone ed., Isernia, 1996, pp. 74-87.
[9]	G. D’Henry, “La romanizzazione del Sannio nel II e I secolo a.C.”, in “La romanisation du Samnium aux II et I siècles av. J.-C.”, 1991, Centre Jean Berard.
[10]	S. Capini and A. Di Niro (eds.), “Samnium. L’archaeologia del Molise”, 1991, Roma, Casa Editrice Quasar.
[11]	Regione Molise, “Carta Archaeologica”, Servizio Statistico e Cartografico Territoriale, 1995.
[12]	N. Linford, “Dunkirt Barn, Abbotts Ann, Hampshire: report on ground penetrating radar survey”, Research Department Report Series, 59, 2007, English Heritage. ISSN 1749-8775
[13]	K. Spandl, A. Dain Owens, C. Champness, M. Dresser, M. Hann, and D. Godwin, “Studying the effects of different cultivation systems on flat archaeological sites and ways to monitor depths of disturbance”, Appendix 3, 1, 1879, 2009, Oxford Archaeology.
[14]	P.M. Barone, “Studies on the evolution of the Molisan landscape through geoarchaeological evaluation of sample areas”, PhD dissertation, Università del Molise, 2009.

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Pier Matteo Barone, Carlotta Ferrara. (2014). Geophysics Applied to Landscape Archaeology: Understanding Samnite and Roman Relationships in Molise (Italy) Using Geoarchaeological Research Methods. International Journal of Archaeology, 3(1-1), 26-36. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ija.s.2015030101.14

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Pier Matteo Barone; Carlotta Ferrara. Geophysics Applied to Landscape Archaeology: Understanding Samnite and Roman Relationships in Molise (Italy) Using Geoarchaeological Research Methods. Int. J. Archaeol. 2014, 3(1-1), 26-36. doi: 10.11648/j.ija.s.2015030101.14

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Pier Matteo Barone, Carlotta Ferrara. Geophysics Applied to Landscape Archaeology: Understanding Samnite and Roman Relationships in Molise (Italy) Using Geoarchaeological Research Methods. Int J Archaeol. 2014;3(1-1):26-36. doi: 10.11648/j.ija.s.2015030101.14

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@article{10.11648/j.ija.s.2015030101.14,
  author = {Pier Matteo Barone and Carlotta Ferrara},
  title = {Geophysics Applied to Landscape Archaeology: Understanding Samnite and Roman Relationships in Molise (Italy) Using Geoarchaeological Research Methods},
  journal = {International Journal of Archaeology},
  volume = {3},
  number = {1-1},
  pages = {26-36},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ija.s.2015030101.14},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ija.s.2015030101.14},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ija.s.2015030101.14},
  abstract = {The Italian region of Molise features clear evidence of the people who have conquered it, inhabited it, tilled it, abandoned it, and reoccupied it. This research, focusing on the coastal area of Molise, attempts to show that the Samnite to Roman transition was not as violent as reported by the historian Livy (e.g., the Samnitic wars). Instead, the transition progressed as a gradual social, political, and cultural evolution. The geoarchaeological analysis of several sample sites helps to demonstrate this hypothesis by emphasizing how the landscape of coastal Molise changed during this particular historical period (i.e., between the sixth and fourth centuries BC). The use of geophysical methods (using both ground penetrating radar (GPR) and gradiometer techniques) in several coastal sites (Guglionesi, San Giacomo degli Schiavoni and San Martino in Pensilis) reveals settlement similarities between Samnite and Roman sites from a strategic and economic point of view. Moreover, this integrated study reveals that the traditional antagonistic relationship between these two populations in this period did not preclude a sort of mutual respect, which allowed this Italic population to be incorporated and assimilated into the Roman world without being completely destroyed and lost.},
 year = {2014}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Geophysics Applied to Landscape Archaeology: Understanding Samnite and Roman Relationships in Molise (Italy) Using Geoarchaeological Research Methods
AU  - Pier Matteo Barone
AU  - Carlotta Ferrara
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PY  - 2014
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T2  - International Journal of Archaeology
JF  - International Journal of Archaeology
JO  - International Journal of Archaeology
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PB  - Science Publishing Group
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AB  - The Italian region of Molise features clear evidence of the people who have conquered it, inhabited it, tilled it, abandoned it, and reoccupied it. This research, focusing on the coastal area of Molise, attempts to show that the Samnite to Roman transition was not as violent as reported by the historian Livy (e.g., the Samnitic wars). Instead, the transition progressed as a gradual social, political, and cultural evolution. The geoarchaeological analysis of several sample sites helps to demonstrate this hypothesis by emphasizing how the landscape of coastal Molise changed during this particular historical period (i.e., between the sixth and fourth centuries BC). The use of geophysical methods (using both ground penetrating radar (GPR) and gradiometer techniques) in several coastal sites (Guglionesi, San Giacomo degli Schiavoni and San Martino in Pensilis) reveals settlement similarities between Samnite and Roman sites from a strategic and economic point of view. Moreover, this integrated study reveals that the traditional antagonistic relationship between these two populations in this period did not preclude a sort of mutual respect, which allowed this Italic population to be incorporated and assimilated into the Roman world without being completely destroyed and lost.
VL  - 3
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Author Information

Pier Matteo Barone

Archaeology and Classics Program, The American University of Rome, Via P. Roselli, 4 – 00153 Rome, Italy
Carlotta Ferrara

Department of Mathematics and Physics, University of Roma Tre, Via Della Vasca Navale, 84 – 00146 Rome, Italy

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APA Style

Pier Matteo Barone, Carlotta Ferrara. (2014). Geophysics Applied to Landscape Archaeology: Understanding Samnite and Roman Relationships in Molise (Italy) Using Geoarchaeological Research Methods. International Journal of Archaeology, 3(1-1), 26-36. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ija.s.2015030101.14

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ACS Style

Pier Matteo Barone; Carlotta Ferrara. Geophysics Applied to Landscape Archaeology: Understanding Samnite and Roman Relationships in Molise (Italy) Using Geoarchaeological Research Methods. Int. J. Archaeol. 2014, 3(1-1), 26-36. doi: 10.11648/j.ija.s.2015030101.14

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AMA Style

Pier Matteo Barone, Carlotta Ferrara. Geophysics Applied to Landscape Archaeology: Understanding Samnite and Roman Relationships in Molise (Italy) Using Geoarchaeological Research Methods. Int J Archaeol. 2014;3(1-1):26-36. doi: 10.11648/j.ija.s.2015030101.14

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@article{10.11648/j.ija.s.2015030101.14,
  author = {Pier Matteo Barone and Carlotta Ferrara},
  title = {Geophysics Applied to Landscape Archaeology: Understanding Samnite and Roman Relationships in Molise (Italy) Using Geoarchaeological Research Methods},
  journal = {International Journal of Archaeology},
  volume = {3},
  number = {1-1},
  pages = {26-36},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ija.s.2015030101.14},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ija.s.2015030101.14},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ija.s.2015030101.14},
  abstract = {The Italian region of Molise features clear evidence of the people who have conquered it, inhabited it, tilled it, abandoned it, and reoccupied it. This research, focusing on the coastal area of Molise, attempts to show that the Samnite to Roman transition was not as violent as reported by the historian Livy (e.g., the Samnitic wars). Instead, the transition progressed as a gradual social, political, and cultural evolution. The geoarchaeological analysis of several sample sites helps to demonstrate this hypothesis by emphasizing how the landscape of coastal Molise changed during this particular historical period (i.e., between the sixth and fourth centuries BC). The use of geophysical methods (using both ground penetrating radar (GPR) and gradiometer techniques) in several coastal sites (Guglionesi, San Giacomo degli Schiavoni and San Martino in Pensilis) reveals settlement similarities between Samnite and Roman sites from a strategic and economic point of view. Moreover, this integrated study reveals that the traditional antagonistic relationship between these two populations in this period did not preclude a sort of mutual respect, which allowed this Italic population to be incorporated and assimilated into the Roman world without being completely destroyed and lost.},
 year = {2014}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Geophysics Applied to Landscape Archaeology: Understanding Samnite and Roman Relationships in Molise (Italy) Using Geoarchaeological Research Methods
AU  - Pier Matteo Barone
AU  - Carlotta Ferrara
Y1  - 2014/12/27
PY  - 2014
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ija.s.2015030101.14
DO  - 10.11648/j.ija.s.2015030101.14
T2  - International Journal of Archaeology
JF  - International Journal of Archaeology
JO  - International Journal of Archaeology
SP  - 26
EP  - 36
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-7595
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ija.s.2015030101.14
AB  - The Italian region of Molise features clear evidence of the people who have conquered it, inhabited it, tilled it, abandoned it, and reoccupied it. This research, focusing on the coastal area of Molise, attempts to show that the Samnite to Roman transition was not as violent as reported by the historian Livy (e.g., the Samnitic wars). Instead, the transition progressed as a gradual social, political, and cultural evolution. The geoarchaeological analysis of several sample sites helps to demonstrate this hypothesis by emphasizing how the landscape of coastal Molise changed during this particular historical period (i.e., between the sixth and fourth centuries BC). The use of geophysical methods (using both ground penetrating radar (GPR) and gradiometer techniques) in several coastal sites (Guglionesi, San Giacomo degli Schiavoni and San Martino in Pensilis) reveals settlement similarities between Samnite and Roman sites from a strategic and economic point of view. Moreover, this integrated study reveals that the traditional antagonistic relationship between these two populations in this period did not preclude a sort of mutual respect, which allowed this Italic population to be incorporated and assimilated into the Roman world without being completely destroyed and lost.
VL  - 3
IS  - 1-1
ER  -

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