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Millstone coastal quarries of the Mediterranean: A new class of sea level indicator
Author(s)
Language
English
Obiettivo Specifico
3A. Ambiente Marino
Status
Published
JCR Journal
JCR Journal
Title of the book
Issue/vol(year)
/332 (2014)
ISSN
1040-6182
Electronic ISSN
1873-4553
Publisher
Elsevier Science Limited
Pages (printed)
126-142
Issued date
2014
Keywords
Abstract
The coasts of Italy still preserve several remnants of coastal quarries built in antiquity, that now provide
insights into the intervening sea-level changes occurred during the last millennia. In this paper, we show
and discuss a new class of sea level indicator consisting of millstones carved along the rocky coast of
southern Italy since 2500 BP, that are currently submerged. They were extracted from beachrocks,
sandstones or similar sedimentary rocks, easier for carving by ancient carving tools. Our study focuses on
10 coastal sites located at Capo d’Orlando, Avola, and Letojanni, in Sicily; Soverato, Tropea, and Capo
dell’Armi, in Calabria; Castellabate, Palinuro, and Scario, in Campania; and Polignano San Vito, in Apulia.
Unfortunately, only limited archaeological information is available for these anthropic structures.
Scario, one of these millstone quarries discussed here, has been dated through independent archaeological
remains, allowing us to restrict the exploitation age to the end of XVII century. Present day elevations
of these coastal sites were obtained through geo-archaeological surveys calibrated using the
nearest tidal stations, together with geomorphological and tectonic interpretations. Data were compared
against the latest sea level predictions based on glacio-hydro-isostatic models. Our results allow proposal
of the age-range of these millstone quarries and to estimate the intervening relative sea level changes
since the time when they were carved.
insights into the intervening sea-level changes occurred during the last millennia. In this paper, we show
and discuss a new class of sea level indicator consisting of millstones carved along the rocky coast of
southern Italy since 2500 BP, that are currently submerged. They were extracted from beachrocks,
sandstones or similar sedimentary rocks, easier for carving by ancient carving tools. Our study focuses on
10 coastal sites located at Capo d’Orlando, Avola, and Letojanni, in Sicily; Soverato, Tropea, and Capo
dell’Armi, in Calabria; Castellabate, Palinuro, and Scario, in Campania; and Polignano San Vito, in Apulia.
Unfortunately, only limited archaeological information is available for these anthropic structures.
Scario, one of these millstone quarries discussed here, has been dated through independent archaeological
remains, allowing us to restrict the exploitation age to the end of XVII century. Present day elevations
of these coastal sites were obtained through geo-archaeological surveys calibrated using the
nearest tidal stations, together with geomorphological and tectonic interpretations. Data were compared
against the latest sea level predictions based on glacio-hydro-isostatic models. Our results allow proposal
of the age-range of these millstone quarries and to estimate the intervening relative sea level changes
since the time when they were carved.
Type
article
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lo presti et al., 2014.pdf
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