1. Sybaris-Thuri-Copia trilogy: three delta coastal sites become land-locked
- Author
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Maria Pia Bernasconi and Jean-Daniel Stanley
- Subjects
Delta ,géomorphologie littorale ,Geography, Planning and Development ,Population ,Calabria ,Fluvial ,Sybaris ,geoarcheologia ,Paleontology ,Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous) ,education ,port antique ,Calabre ,Shore ,education.field_of_study ,geography ,Italie ,geography.geographical_feature_category ,Holocene ,Geoarchaeology ,Subsidence ,geomorphology ,coastal deformation ,Archaeology ,Italia ,geomorphologia littorale ,Urban Studies ,Italy ,géoarcheologie ,geoarchaeology ,Progradation ,Quaternary ,Geology ,ancient port - Abstract
This study focuses on the evolution of three ancient Greek (Archaic and Classical periods) and Roman sites built on the Crati Delta as it was actively accreting seaward. Sybaris, Thuri and Copia, successively emplaced on the delta coast along the Gulf of Taranto, NE Calabria, were active from early 8th to 1st century BC. Analysis of sediment facies in two cores at Casa Bianca in the easternmost Sybaris archaeological park records the delta margin’s evolution in time and space: up-core late Holocene sequences are from shallow marine to coastal to landward delta, identical to landward facies distributions of marine shelf to coast to deltaic on the modern Crati coastal margin. Long-term rates of seaward delta migration are ~1.0 m/yr, and subsidence from 0.9 to 1.7 mm/yr. The study does not provide evidence of fluvial sandy conglomerates deposited directly above any of the 3 sites in this sector during the almost 700 year period, leaving unproven Strabo’s account of purposeful fluvial channel deviation over Sybaris and its destruction by Crotoniates. Rather, importance of the 3 sites diminished primarily by natural events leading to their successive separation from the coast and away from accessible ship landing sites displaced to the east. This handicap diminished shore access, essential to navigation and trade, of these once powerful population centers. Cet article présente l’évolution de trois villes gréco-romaines installées sur le delta du fleuve Crati caractérisé par une progradation importante à l’époque historique. Sybaris, Thuri et Copia ont été successivement localisées le long du littoral du golfe de Tarente (Calabre). Elles ont été occupées entre le 8e siècle avant Jésus-Christ et le premier siècle de notre ère. L’analyse des faciès sédimentaires provenant de deux carottages, localisés à Casa Bianca, à l’est du parc archéologique de Sybaris, met en évidence l’évolution de la marge deltaïque. Les sédiments fini-holocènes caractérisent des milieux variés typiques des fonds marins, des traits de côte et des plaines deltaïques. La progradation du rivage sur la longue durée est de l’ordre de 1m/an et la subsidence varie de 0,9 à 1,7 mm/an. Cette étude n’a pas identifié de conglomérat fluvial au dessus des couches archéologiques des trois villes antiques, ne confirmant pas les écrits de Strabon sur une diffluence volontaire des eaux du Crati vers Sibaris par les habitants de Croton. L’importance de ces sites semble avoir principalement diminué du fait de l’éloignement naturel du littoral en direction de l’est. Ce handicap aboutit à un enclavement, à une accessibilité réduite au littoral et au déclin des activités portuaires et du commerce. Questo studio ricostruisce l’evoluzione di tre siti di età greco-antica (periodo Arcaico e Classico) e romana costruiti presso la foce del fiume Crati (lungo il Golfo di Taranto, Calabria NE) in concomitanza con la progradazione del sistema deltizio. Sybaris, Thuri e Copia furono progressivamente localizzate nell’area costiera dall’inizio dell’ VIII al I secolo a.C. Le facies dei sedimenti di due carote ubicate a Casa Bianca nel settore orientale del parco archeologico di Sibari testimoniano l’evoluzione spazio-temporale del delta: le sequenze tardo-oloceniche indicano il passaggio da mare basso a delta progradante, in analogia alla distribuzione delle facies presenti off-shore sull’odierno margine costiero del delta del Crati. I ritmi di lungo termine della progradazione sono di circa ~1.0 m/yr, e di subsidenza da 0.9 to 1.7 mm/yr. Questo studio non rinviene evidenze di depositi conglomeratico-sabbiosi di origine fluviale nei tre siti studiati, lasciando indimostrata la descrizione di Strabo della deviazione artificiale di un canale fluviale operata presso Sybaris e legata alla sua distruzione ad opera dei Crotoniati. L’importanza dei tre siti, invece, risulta essere diminuita principalmente a causa di eventi naturali che ne provocano la separazione dalla costa e l’allontanamento dagli approdi naturali localizzati ad est, limitando l’accesso costiero essenziale alla navigazione ed al commercio.
- Published
- 2009
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