The dark side of Vesuvius : landscape change and the Roman economy
This study investigates the territories of Neapolis and Nola in order to understand what role they played in the economy of their cities and in Campania. It further explores the difficult relationship between mankind and the fragile landscape of Vesuvius, how eruptions changed settlement patterns, exploitation strategies, and how people dealt with other smaller natural disasters that frequently occurred in that area. The thesis is organised in nine chapters, each describing a separate layer of the landscape. The introduction analyses the reasons for the apparent lack of data for the northern slopes of the volcano and further discusses the theoretical issues pertaining to the economy of the countryside. The history chapter lists the major facts of the histoire eÌveÌnementielle and their connection with the landscapeâs longterm history. The third chapter studies the features of the static landscape and the exploitation of bedrock resources. Vesuvius is the subject of the fourth chapter, in which are discussed its shape and the eruptions' effects on the static landscape. Chapter five discusses the river Sebethus and how the intermingled action humans and nature created the marshes. Agriculture and animal
De Simone, Girolamo Ferdinando
Archeology ; Landscape ; Roman archeology ; Settlement ; Economic and Social History ; Late antiquity and the Middle Ages ; Archaeology ; Landscape Archaeology ; Roman Economy ; Campania ; Vesuvius ; Pompeii
The dark side of Vesuvius : landscape change and the Roman economy. This study investigates the territories of Neapolis and Nola in order to understand what role they played in the economy of their cities and in Campania. It further explores the difficult relationship between mankind and the fragile landscape of Vesuvius, how eruptions changed settlement patterns, exploitation strategies, and how people dealt with other smaller natural disasters that frequently occurred in that area. The thesis is organised in nine chapters, each describing a separate layer of the landscape. The introduction analyses the reasons for the apparent lack of data for the northern slopes of the volcano and further discusses the theoretical issues pertaining to the economy of the countryside. The history chapter lists the major facts of the histoire eÌveÌnementielle and their connection with the landscapeâs longterm history. The third chapter studies the features of the static landscape and the exploitation of bedrock resources. Vesuvius is the subject of the fourth chapter, in which are discussed its shape and the eruptions' effects on the static landscape. Chapter five discusses the river Sebethus and how the intermingled action humans and nature created the marshes. Agriculture and animal
dark side landscape_change roman_economy study_investigate territory order role_play economy city explores difficult relationship mankind fragile landscape eruption change settlement_pattern exploitation strategy people deal small natural disaster frequently_occur area organised describe separate layer landscape introduction analysis reason apparent lack data northern slope discus theoretical_issue pertain economy countryside history list major fact connection landscape history third study feature static landscape exploitation bedrock resource subject fourth discussed shape eruption effect static landscape five_discus river action human_nature create agriculture animal