Case studyMass movements affecting Goddess Mefitis sanctuary in Rossano di Vaglio (Basilicata, southern Italy)
Section snippets
Research aims
During the 4th century B.C., after the “archaic short glacial age” [3], the climate became warmer leading to a significant increase of human and cultural activities in Basilicata region (Southern Italy), where nowadays valuable heritages produced in that period can still be admired. Development of the so called “Lucanian ethnos” culture took place and generated several and important social and economical effects on the area. This is reflected in the foundation of several cult-places with
Goddess Mefitis sanctuary
The sanctuary of Rossano di Vaglio (Fig. 1), consecrated to the cult of the goddess Mefitis, has been founded in the second half of the 4th Century B.C. The level built up during the period of its main importance, i.e. Hellenistic age had a complex architecture characterized by large staircase connecting the different levels. The level entirely discovered develops all around a large church-square in the centre of which a large altar built up with arenaceous blocks is located. Another level, now
Geological and geomechanical characters of Flysch Rosso geological formation outcropping in the archeological area
The Rossano di Vaglio archeological site is characterized by outcropping of the structurally complex clayey–marly succession, strongly fractured and deformed, referred to the Lagonegro Unit. Locally it has the name of Flysch Rosso formation (Upper Cretaceous-Eocene), which is made up of marly clays and clayey marls finely scaly randomly alternated with levels of mudstones, marly calcilutites, bioclastic calcarenites, cherty radiolarites, clays and marly clays. This geological unit is strongly
Slope instability features of the archeological site: Mefitis landslide
Rossano di Vaglio slope (Fig. 2) is involved by ancient and recent mass movements, periodically reactivated in a partial or total way. This displacements are associated to a large and deep complex retrogressive multiple rotational and translational slide with earth flow bodies at the toe of the landslide. The earth-flows in the eastern portion of the studied area, show evidences of present activity.
All the main slides have a clear scarp with a circular form, secondary scarps, landslide stairs,
Conclusions
The paper has described the geomorphological features and the present stability conditions of the archaeological area of Rossano di Vaglio where the important Sanctuary of Mefitis Goddess is located. Within this work the authors have analysed the instability phenomena affecting the slope where the sanctuary was built, with particular attention to the stability conditions of the large landslide on which the sacred complex is located (Mefitis landslide in this work). The results of the study
References (5)
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Joint geophysical measurements to investigate the Rossano of Vaglio archaeological site affected by landslide phenomena (Basilicata region, southern Italy)