The Cerbalus project: landscape archaeology in the Cervaro river valley

The ‘Cerbalus project: landscape archaeology in the Cervaro river valley’ wasconceived as a landscape archaeology research project, for the investigation ofthe Cervaro river valley, located at the borders of Apulia and Campania, inSouthern Italy. The ultimate objective was to reconstruct and narrate the‘biography’ of this inner, hilly, sub-Apennine landscape, grasping the persistentelements of identity, the long-lasting territorial marks, and the deeptransformations that arose in specific moments during its historic evolution.Thus, through the application of a holistic approach based on the integration ofdifferent sources, in a diachronic and global perspective, both the “histoireévénementielle” and the ‘micro-histories’ of the rural human communities settledin the area throughout the centuries, with their economic and settlementstrategies, were emphasized. Field surveys data, ancient sources, epigraphs,Medieval chartae, archival charters, ancient and modern cartography, remotesensing and paleoenvironmental data were all taken into consideration for thereconstruction of this landscape’s evolution, from Prehistory to Norman era.The main results of the research refer to an increase of the dataset of the historicand archaeological data; to the methodology and sources used; and to thearchaeological and historical discussions in a previously uncharted territory.Indeed, not only the archaeological records of the Cervaro valley was enriched,from a quantitative and qualitative point of view, but also the combined use offield, archival, and desktop-based data allowed for the acquisition of a wide setof information, that will also serve as tools for future developments of theresearch. In this work, several historical and archaeological issues are debated,with a particular attention towards specific turning points: the absence of astrong and hegemonic Daunian center in the valley and the prevalent Samnitecultural component, in the archaic period; the inscription of the community ofVibinum in the Galeria Tribe — mainly attested in Irpinia rather than in Apulia —; the foundation of the Roman colony probably during Sulla Age as a militarystronghold; the archaeological absence of the Byzantine power in town and inthe countryside, and the prevalence of Lombard’s authority. Moreover, ananalysis of settlement patterns, field-system morphologies, administrativecontrol, resource production, and infrastructural activity over time wasconducted, outlining the main development trends, between persistence anddiscontinuity.The analysis of the evolution of landscape and settlement patterns of this innerand boundary area allowed also to reconsider the concept of marginality whichburdened the entire sub-Apennine area in the recent past, as a consequence ofdepopulation and social and economic recession. In this respect, this researchmay serve also public utility, for cultural landscape preservation, futurelandscape planning and the development of cultural tourism.