Quaternaire, 9, (1), 1998, p. 37-43.
EVIDENCE OF THE ADVERSE IMPACT
OF THE « AVELLINO PUMICES » ERUPTION
OF SOMMA- VESUVIUS ON OLD BRONZE AGE SITES
IN THE CAMPANIA REGION (Southern Italy)
Claude ALBORE LIVADIE*, Luigi CAMPAJOLA**, Antonio D'ONOFRIO***, Robert K. MONIOT****, Vincenzo ROCA**, Mario ROMANO** , Filippo RUSSO***** and Filippo TERRASI******
ABSTRACT
RÉSUMÉ
L'IMPACT DE L'ÉRUPTION DU SOMMA - VÉSUVE DITE DES « PONCES D' AVELLINO » SUR LES SITES DU BRONZE ANTIQUE EN CAMPANIE (ITALIE MÉRIDIONALE)
Introduction
• Centre Jean Bérard, Via F. Crispi 86, 80121 NAPOLI, Italy ; Centre Camille Jullian, Aix-en-Provence, France ; GDR 1122 CNRS.
*• Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche dell'Università Federico II, Pad. 20 Mostra d'Oltremare, 80125 NAPOLI, Italy.
*** Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche E. Caianiello, Université di Salerno, Via S.Allende, 84081 BARONISSI, Italy.
•••* Fordham University, NEW YORK, NY, USA.
••♦•• Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra dell'Università Federico II, Largo S. Marcellino 10, 80138 NAPOLI, Italy ; GDR 1122 CNRS.
•••••• Facolta di Scienze Ambientali della Seconda Université di Napoli, Via Arena 22, 81100 CASERTA, Italy.
Manuscrit reçu le 15/06/1997, accepté le 20/11/1997.
This study is the first to examine the geoarchaeology of the sites of the Old Bronze Age (OBA) of the Palma Campania facies (fig. 1), and clarifies the picture of that society at the moment of the eruption. These observations shed light on the interaction between humans and their environment in areas at high risk of volcanic eruptions, where the taming of the environment was directly
connected with the utilization of local georesources and their renewal after each disruption.
The eruption named the "Avellino Pumices" (APE) is an important plinian event of the Holocenic history of Somma- Vesuvius, along with the more famous eruption of 79 AD which destroyed Pompeii. It occurred during the final phase of OBA and had a profound impact on the primitive settlements and on the configuration of the affected region. The APE products were often confused in the literature
