Geoarchaeology: An international Journal, Vol. 2, No. 2(1987), 131-147
GEOMORPHOLOGY AND ANCIENT SETTLEMENTS OF THE SOUTHERN FLANK OF MT. CAIRO,
LOWER LIRI VALLEY, ITALY
I. PETER MARTINI1 and EDITH MARY WIGHTMAN2 (deceased)
1 Department of Land Resource Science, University of Guelph, Guelph,
Ontario, N1G 2Wl, Canada
2Department of History, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, L85
4M1, Canada
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The southern flank of Mt. Cairo in southern Lazio edges a valley that forms
one of the major passageways from central to southern Italy. The mountainous
landscape has affected the settlement pattern, as have historical events such as
the Roman conquests and recent socio-economic evolution, which has led to
industrialization of a traditional pastoral-agricultural setting.
The slopes of calcareous Mt Cairo are characterized by a
cascade of normal faults which delimit landscape units such as the
"uplands," "steep slopes," and the "mountain
rise," which contains well developed alluvial and colluvial fans.
Along the lower mountain slopes, Bronze and Iron Age sites
are consistently located higher than Roman ones. Archaeological remains and
historical documents indicate that only after the Roman conquest was the
agricultural potential of the flatter lower areas fully exploited. Roman villas
were characteristically placed on the upper parts of the fans, where both access
to different types of land and elevation above the mists of the valley were
enjoyed. The Medieval period brought a trend back to higher sites and fortified
villages. The uplands remained in use through the ages.
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