Le indagini geoarcheologiche a Cervia

This paper presents the results of geoarchaeological investigations carried out at the site of Cervia Vecchia within the framework of the Archeologia a Cervia project (2019–present). The research aimed to evaluate the depth and spatial extent of archaeological deposits, investigate the earliest phases of urban development, and reconstruct the diachronic evolution of the landscape within the Salina di Cervia. The methodological approach combined mechanical continuous coring (reaching depths of up to 10 m) with manual auger drilling. Stratigraphic analysis identified substantial anthropogenic deposits, exceeding 1.30 m in thickness in the central sector of the islet, which may point to a settlement growth model expanding outward from a central nucleus. Although ceramic materials are predominantly dated to the Early Modern period (up to the city’s relocation in the 17th century CE), a radiocarbon determination from a charcoal fragment indicated possible activity between the late 9th and 10th centuries CE, predating the earliest written records. Macrofossil and sedimentological evidence suggest that the settlement developed directly on a brackish lagoon environment that had persisted since the Holocene marine transgression. Overall, these results provide a high-resolution preliminary reconstruction of the site’s transformation from a natural lagoonal setting into an organised urban landscape, underscoring the strong potential for well-preserved deep stratigraphic sequences despite the constraints imposed by a high water table.