Tracing natural and anthropic dynamics in alluvial and coastal plain through multidisciplinary sources: A new protocol for the study of historical landscapes in Val di Cornia (southern Tuscany, Italy)

Abstract

The reconstruction of historical landscapes in alluvial and coastal plains is challenging due to the intense transformations of the territory caused by fluvial and coastal dynamics, as well as anthropogenic influences such as modern agricultural practices and land reclamation activities. Therefore, multidisciplinary studies and the use of a wide range of environmental proxies have become fundamental to evaluating the entangled interconnections between human activities and natural environmental processes within the context of landscape evolution.

This study explores the long-term interplay between humans and the environment in the lower Val di Cornia, an alluvial and coastal plain in central Italy (southern Tuscany) along the Tyrrhenian coast. Drawing on recent geomorphological analysis, the archaeological record has been reinterpreted within an updated environmental framework, further enriched by newly conducted geochemical and cartographic analysis. Spanning from the 7th century BC to the 11th century AD, this research aims to reconstruct both natural characteristics and the transformative role of human agency.

New data revealed that specific locations corresponding to elevated depositional fluvial features were particularly attractive for settlement due to their reduced hydraulic hazards and the coarse-grained soils resistant to water stagnation. However, settlement patterns were shaped not only by geomorphology but also by cultural and economic factors, including proximity to resources, access to road networks, and evolving land-use strategies. While this is particularly evident for the period between the 4th century BC to the 2nd century AD, when the archaeological record is more solid, a combination of variables has also been identified for describing Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. Through the integration of diverse data sources, this study overcomes the chronological limitations inherent in individual records—archaeological, historical, or cartographic—enabling a broader understanding of landscape transformations.