ABSTRACT

Fluvial environments represent complex human-water systems, as floodplains have always been among the most suitable environments for human subsistence. In this paper, we present one of the first attempts to investigate human adaptation to fluvial environments in the past using spatial statistics (Point Pattern Analysis). In particular, the paper addresses the influence of alluvial geomorphology on the settlement strategies in the Po plain (Northern Italy) during the Roman and the Medieval Period. The transition from Roman to the Middle Ages represented a crucial phase for the reorganisation of human settlement strategies in the Po Valley. The collapse of Roman hydrological systems in association with a cooling climate phase triggered waterlogging process in a large portion of the farmland: swamps became the typical features of the Medieval landscape. This paper aims to assess if the different water management strategies in the Roman and Medieval periods influenced the spatial distribution of sites, and to evaluate the relative importance of agricultural suitability over flood risks in the two historical phases. This research contributes to quantifying how the socio-political factors of past societies played a key role in human resilience to geomorphological hazards related to alluvial contexts and exceptional floods triggered by climate changes.

摘要

河流环境代表了复杂的人水系统，因为洪泛区一直是最适合人类生存的环境之一。在本文中，我们首次尝试使用空间统计（点模式分析）研究人类对过去河流环境的适应。特别是，本文讨论了冲积地貌对罗马和中世纪时期波平原（意大利北部）的定居策略的影响。从罗马到中世纪的过渡代表了波河谷人类住区战略重组的关键阶段。罗马水文系统的崩溃与气候变冷相关，引发了大部分农田的内涝过程：沼泽成为中世纪景观的典型特征。本文旨在评估罗马和中世纪时期不同的水资源管理策略是否影响了遗址的空间分布，并评估了两个历史阶段农业适宜性对洪水风险的相对重要性。这项研究有助于量化过去社会的社会政治因素如何在人类抵御与冲积环境和气候变化引发的异常洪水相关的地貌灾害中发挥关键作用。