Human colonization and volcanic activity in the eastern Campania Plain (Italy) between the Eneolithic and Late Roman periods

Archaeological and volcanological studies conducted in the Naples area have revealed that numerous
high-intensity explosive eruptions that occurred in the past 10 ka caused damage and victims in the
human communities living in the plain surrounding the Neapolitan volcanoes. These catastrophic events
were interspersed by hundred to thousand year long periods of quiescence, usually exceeding a human
life-time.
During the Early Bronze Age in particular, the Campania Plain was densely inhabited due to favourable
climatic conditions and soil fertility. The archaeological and volcanological investigation of the sequences
found in archaeological excavations has permitted the detailed reconstruction of the effects of eruptions
and deposition mechanisms of their products on settlements. This paper discusses the example of Nola-
Palma Campania during a most interesting, though poorly known, period of activity bracketed by the
Vesuvian Pomici di Avellino (Early Bronze Age) and Pollena (AD 472) Plinian eruptions. Through this timespan
the Plainwas variably inhabited, crossed by long-lived roads and subject to agricultural exploitation.
Eruptions caused significant breaks in the occupation of the area, but also maintained the plain’s extraordinary
fertility. During this period, at least eight other eruptions occurred: the Pomici di Pompei Plinian
event (AD 79), two sub-Plinian to phreato-Plinian events, and five violent Strombolian to Vulcanian events.
Thin and poorly developed to thicker and mature palaeosols or erosional unconformities separate the
various pyroclastic deposits. Almost all the eruptions and related phenomena interacted with human
settlements in the Campania Plain, and in their sequences many traces of the displacement of people
during the eruptions may be seen, as well as land reclamation and re-utilization soon afterwards.
Despite the various kinds of hazard posed by volcanic and related phenomena, humans nevertheless
found good reasons for settlement in the Campania Plain and flourished there. A multidisciplinary
approach has yielded detailed information regarding the evolution of the area and the effects of eruptions
on settlements. These data are of paramount importance for an improved understanding of past
events and in evaluating the hazard of eruptions and related phenomena.

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