Indagini geoarcheologiche nel sito altomedievale di Villaggio San Francesco a Comacchio

L'articolo presenta i risultati di una campagna di carotaggi manuali condotta nel quartiere di Villaggio San Francesco, alla periferia nord di Comacchio (FE). A questi dati si aggiunge una discussione sull'impatto e sulla tipologia delle bonifiche messe in atto al momento dell'impianto del porto altomedievale

Looking for the Mesolithic in the Venetian Plain: first results from the Sile river springs (North-Eastern Italy)

During the ’80s of the last century the activity of local amateurs led to the identification and collection of several thousand lithic artefacts mostly referred to the Mesolithic in the area of the Sile river springs (Veneto, North-Eastern Italy). Although representing one of the rare evidence of occupation of alluvial plains by Mesolithic groups in the Italian peninsula, for several years such discoveries have been completely forgotten. Starting from 2012 a new research project aimed at the diachronic reconstruction of prehistoric settlement dynamics related to environmental changes has been undertaken over this area. The preliminary data indicate an intense occupation near the springs of the river Sile by the Mesolithic groups during the ancient and middle Holocene, in close connection to the peculiar features of this wetland area which possibly represented the focus of rich biotopes suitable for subsistence

GEOMORPHOLOGICAL MAP OF THE SAN PELLEGRINO PASS (DOLOMITES, NORTHEASTERN ITALY)

This paper discusses the geomorphological features of the northern slope of the San Pellegrino Pass (Autonomous Province of Trento, Northern Italy), located in a well-known area of the Dolomites between the San Pellegrino and the Biois valleys, and illustrates the annexed geomorphological map at a scale of 1:10,000. Geomorphological features are strongly influenced by the structural setting and range from ancient glacial and periglacial landforms to gravitational and karst morphologies. During the Last Glacial Maximum, a glacier from the west transfluenced through the pass. Numerous traces of subsequent events testify to the presence of independent glacial tongues flowing south-east, fed by glacial cirques occurring in the Costabella ridge. The chronological reconstruction suggests that almost all of the moraines generated by these glaciers can be attributed to the Younger Dryas (Egesen Stadial). A core drilled in Lèch de Campagnola (Campagnola Lake) provided two radiocarbon ages, the oldest dating back to 11,258-11,686 cal. yrs. BP. This indicates that since the very early Holocene environmental conditions had rapidly changed, and glacial processes in the area had concluded. The two ages represent the oldest Holocene radiocarbon dates in a sedimentary sequence of the Dolomites. There are also tongue-shaped rock glaciers, some of them very large in size; their aspect unequivocally indicates that they developed in a continuum from glacial to periglacial processes, evolving from debris-covered glaciers to ice-core rock glaciers. The study enriches our knowledge of the geomorphology of a wellknown sector of the eastern Dolomites, still lacking a systematic and detailed geomorphological survey. Moreover, considering the high tourist activity of the area, it also represents a tool to spread knowledge of the morphological evolution and the environmental problems through geotourist maps that can be derived from this geomorphological map. Finally, the availability of a large-scale geomorphological map can also contribute to the evaluation of geomorphological hazards for a safer use and management of the territory