Since the origin of mankind volcanism and human life have been strictly linked to each other. Despite the hazards posed by volcanoes, humans have always found good reasons for settlement and development around them, mostly – in temperate zones – because of high soil fertility, or for the presence of ore deposits or the abundance of volcanic rocks that are good building materials. Evidence from archaeological excavations demonstrates that volcanic and related phenomena often have strongly conditioned human life, causing environmental changes, forcing people to abandon their settlements, and preparing the conditions for later re-colonization and soil exploitation during phases of quiescence.
The main goal of this session is to promote cultural exchange and interaction among diverse disciplines, so as to enhance our knowledge of the relationships between volcanism, environment and human communities.
Multidisciplinary contributions are solicited, mainly in the fields of stratigraphy, eruption dynamics, archaeological investigations, archaeometry, the environmental impact of volcanic eruptions, relationships between distribution and emplacement of volcanic products and human settlements and structures, archaeological evidence for environmental changes and impact on humans and animals of volcanic activity.
(Solicited people: Guido Giordano, giordano@uniroma3.it)