Abstract
Between the second part of the sixth century and the seventh century, many regions of Europe have been characterized by dramatic changes in the hydrographic setting, probably related to a strong cooling phase. In northern Italy, the chronicle of a huge flood event referred by the Lombard historian Paul the Deacon to the autumn of 589 AD has achieved a major importance and induced many researchers to attribute to this “deluge” episode many of the floods occurred during early Middle Age. In this paper, we consider the alluvial system of Tagliamento, which is one of the main rivers fed by south-eastern Alps and experienced a strong avulsion phase between the sixth and eleventh centuries. In that period, the river activated up to three branches and the hydrographical changes strongly influenced the human activity. This work critically reanalyses both published data and new stratigraphic and archaeologic evidence in order to assess and quantify the times and modes of this instability phase. The data suggest the occurrence of an extreme flood event at the end of the sixth century, which was also responsible for the burial of the ancient city of Concordia Sagittaria. The geochronological constraints suggest the possibility that this catastrophic episode occurred in 589 AD, thus confirming the Medieval Chronicle. Anyhow, other alluvial events occurred in the distal plain of Tagliamento River slightly before and after that moment.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Benito G, Macklin MG, Panin A, Rossato S, Fontana A, Jones AF, Machado MJ, Matlakhova E, Mozzi P, Zielhofer C (2015) Recurring flood distribution patterns related to short-term Holocene climatic variability. Sci Rep 5(16398):1–12
Bertolini D (1877) Sepolcreto di Concordia. Notizie di Scavi 21–48
Bianchin Citton E (1996) Breve storia delle ricerche e degli studi. In: AA.VV. (eds) La protostoria tra Sile e Tagliamento. Antiche genti tra Veneto e Friuli, Catalogo della mostra, Concordia, 14 settembre–10 novembre 1996, Esedra, Padova, pp 185–187
Bondesan A, Furlanetto P (2012) Artificial fluvial diversions in the mainland of the Lagoon of Venice during the 16th and 17th centuries inferred by historical cartography analysis. Géomorphologie 2(2012):175–200
Bondesan A, Meneghel M (2004) Geomorfologia della provincia di Venezia. Esedra, Padova
Bondesan A, Meneghel M, Rosselli R, Vitturi A (eds) (2004) Geomorphological map of the province of Venice, scale 1:50,000. LAC, Firenze, 4 sheets
Bronk Ramsey C (2009) Bayesian analysis of radiocarbon dates. Radiocarbon 51:337–360
Brown T (1997) Alluvial geoarcheology. Cambridge Manuals in Archaeology, Cambridge
Büntgen U, Tegel W, Nicolussi K, McCormick M, Frank D, Trouet V, Kaplan JO, Herzig F, Heussner K, Wanner H, Luterbacher J, Esper J (2011) 2500 years of European climate variability and human susceptibility. Science 331:578–582
Büntgen U, Myglan V, Ljungqvist F, McCormick M, Di Cosmo N, Sigl M, Jungclaus J, Wagner S, Krusic P, Esper J, Kaplan J, de Vaan M, Luterbacher J, Wacker L, Tegel W, Kirdyanov A (2016) Cooling and societal change during the Late Antique Little Ice Age from 536 to around 660 AD. Nat Geosci 9:231–237
Calzolari M (1996) Alluvioni e dissesti idrogeologici in Italia settentrionale nel VI e VII sec. D.C.: i dati delle fonti scritte. Ann Benacensi 11:39–75
Castellarin B (1990) Le inondazioni del Tagliamento. In: Altan M, Castellarin B, Fantin E, Foramitti G, Romanin F, Turoldo D (eds) Le alluvioni del Tagliamento a Latisana e nei comuni della Bassa Friulana. La Bassa, collana 12, Latisana
Castiglioni GB (2001) Response of the fluvial system to environmental variations. In: Castiglioni GB, Pellegrini GB (eds) Illustrative notes of the geomorphological map of Po Plain (Italy). Geogr Fis Dinam Quat suppl 4:165–188
Christie N (2006) From Constantine to Charlemagne: an Archaeology of Italy AD 300–800. Ashgate, Aldershot
Cicogna A (ed) (2008) Atlante climatico del Friuli Venezia Giulia. Agenzia Regionale per la Protezione dell’Ambiente del Friuli Venezia Giulia Settore Osservatorio Meteorologico Regionale
Cividini T, Ventura P (2007) Ronchis (UD): impianto produttivo. Notiziario Soprintendenza Beni Archeologici Friuli Venezia Giulia 2:57–62
Cremaschi M, Gasperi G (1989) L’alluvione altomedievale di Mutina (Modena) in rapporto alle variazioni ambientali oloceniche. Mem Soc Geol Ital 42:179–190
Cremonini S, Labate D, Curina R (2013) The late-antiquity environmental crisis in Emilia region (Po river plain, Northern Italy): geoarchaeological evidence and paleoclimatic considerations. Quatern Int 316:162–178
Croce Da Villa P, Di Filippo Balestrazzi E (a cura di) (2001) Concordia Sagittaria tremila anni di storia. Esedra Editrice, Padova
Dall’Aglio P (1997) Il Diluvium di Paolo Diacono e le modificazioni ambientali tardoantiche: un problema di metodo. Ocnus 5:97–104
Destefanis E (1999) Fonti scritte e toponomastiche per la conoscenza del territorio. In: Cantino Wataghin G (ed) Antichità e Alto Medioevo tra Livenza e Tagliamento, contributo per una lettura della carta archeologica della Provincia di Pordenone. Provincia di Pordenone, Assessorato alla Cultura, Pordenone, pp 25–42
Favaretto S, Sostizzo I (2006) Vegetazione e ambienti del passato nell’area di Concordia Sagittaria (VE). Quaderni del Dottorato Dipartimento di Geografia Università di Padova 1:57–69
Favero V (1991) Concordia Sagittaria. Scavo protostorico. Quaderni Archeologia del Veneto 7:79–85
Fontana A (2006) Evoluzione geomorfologica della bassa pianura friulana e sue relazioni con le dinamiche insediative antiche. Monografie Museo Friulano Storia Naturale 47. Enclosed Geomorphological Map of the Low Friulian Plain scale 1:50,000
Fontana A, Bondesan A, Meneghel M, Toffoletto F, Vitturi A, Bassan V (2012) Note illustrative della Carta Geologica d’Italia alla scala 1:50.000-Foglio 107 “Portogruaro”. ISPRA, Regione Veneto, Infocartografica, Piacenza
Fontana A, Mozzi P, Marchetti M (2014) Alluvial fans and megafans along the southern side of the Alps. Sed Geol 301:150–171
Fontana A, Vinci G, Tasca G, Mozzi P, Vacchi M, Bivi G, Salvador S, Rossato S, Antonioli F, Asioli A, Bresolin M, Di Mario F, Hajdas I (2017) Lagoon settlements and relative sea level during Bronze Age in Northern Adriatic: geoarchaeological evidence and paleogeographic constraints. Quatern Int 439:19–36
Frassine M (2017) Alluvioni, bonifiche e viabilità romana nel Friuli occidentale. Nuovi dati per la ricostruzione del paesaggio antico. In: Turchetto J, Asolati M (eds) Paesaggi in movimento. Ricerche dedicate a Guido Rosada, Padova University Press, pp 165–174
Frassine M, Fontana A, Bezzi A (2014) Viabilità romana nel territorio di Morsano al Tagliamento (PN): la direttrice Concordia-Norico dal telerilevamento allo scavo archeologico. J Ancient Topogr 23:107–128
Frisia S, Borsato A, Spötl C, Villa IM, Cucchi F (2005) Climate variability in the SE Alps of Italy over the past 17000 years reconstructed from a stalagmitic record. Boreas 14:445–455
Helama S, Jones P, Briffa K (2017) Dark Ages Cold Period: a literature review and directions for future research. Holocene 27:1600–1606
IPCC (2014) Climate change 2014: synthesis report. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the fifth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Core Writing Team, Pachauri RK, Meyer LA (eds)]. IPCC, Geneva, 151 pp
Lamb HH (1995) Climate history and the modern world, 2nd edn. Routledge, New York
Lucía A, Comiti F, Borga M, Cavalli M, Marchi L (2015) Dynamics of large wood during a flash flood in two mountain catchments. Nat Hazards Earth Syst Sci 15:1741–1755
Marcello A, Comel A (1963) L’alluvione che seppellì Julian Concordia. Mem Biogeogr Adriat, Ist Stud Adriat 5:139–145
Michelutti G, Zanolla S, Barbieri S (2003) Suoli e Paesaggi del Friuli-Venezia Giulia, 1. Pianura e colline del pordenonese. ERSA, Agenzia Regionale per lo sviluppo agrario, Pozzuolo del Friuli, Udine
Monegato G, Ravazzi C, Donegana M, Pini R, Calderoni G, Wick L (2007) Evidence of a two-fold glacial advance during the last glacial maximum in the Tagliamento end moraine system (eastern Alps). Quatern Res 68: 284–302
Mozzi P, Piovan S, Corrò E (in press) Long-term drivers and impacts of abrupt river changes in managed lowlands of the Adige river and northern Po delta (Northern Italy). Quatern Int. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2018.10.024
Paulus Diaconus. Historia Langobardorum. http://www.intratext.com/lXT/LAT0338/PP.htm
Prenc F (2002) Le pianificazioni agrarie di età romana nella pianura aquileiese. Antichità Alto Adriatiche 52
Ragazzi F, Zamarchi P (eds) (2008) Carta dei suoli della Provincia di Venezia, scala 1:50.000. LAC, Firenze
Reimer PJ, Bard E, Bayliss A, Beck JW, Blackwell PG, Bronk Ramsey C, Grootes PM, Guilderson TP, Haflidason H, Hajdas I, Hatté C, Heaton TJ, Hoffmann DL, Hogg AG, Hughen KA, Kaiser KF, Kromer B, Manning SW, Niu M, Reimer RW, Richards DA, Scott EM, Southon JR, Staff RA, Turney C, van der Plicht J (2013) IntCal13 and Marine13 radiocarbon age calibration curves 0–50,000 years cal BP. Radiocarbon 55:1869–1887
Rinaldi F, Vigoni A (eds) (2015) Le necropoli della media e tarda età imperiale (III–IV secolo d.C.) a Iulia Concordia e nell’arco alto adriatico - organizzazione spaziale, aspetti monumentali e strutture sociali atti del convegno di studio, Concordia Sagittaria, 5–6 giugno 2014. Gr. A.V.O., Album, 20
Rosada G, Frassine M, Ghiotto A (eds) (2013) …via Anniam influentibus palustribus aquis eververatam… Tradizione, mito, storia e katastrophé di una strada romana. Canova, Treviso
Sandron R (2013) Storia di Portogruaro dalle origini ai giorni nostri. Edizioni Biblioteca dell’Immagine, Sartor, Pordenone
Squatriti P (2010) The floods of 589 and climate change at the beginning of the middle ages: an Italian microhistory. Speculum 85:799–826
Stefani M, Vincenzi S (2005) The interplay of eustasy, climate and human activity in the late Quaternary depositional evolution and sedimentary architecture of the Po Delta system. Mar Geol 222–223:19–48
Steinhilber F, Beer J, Fröhlich C (2009) Total solar irradiance during the Holocene. Geophys Res Lett 36:L19704
Surian N, Mao L, Giacomin M, Ziliani L (2009) Morphological effects of different channel-forming discharges in a gravel-bed river. Earth Surf Proc Land 34:1093–1107
Uggeri G (2013) La nuova Via Annia da Roma ad Aquileia (153 a.C.). J Ancient Topogr 22:133–174
Valle G, Vercesi P (1996) Concordia Sagittaria, Sintesi della situazione paleoambientale. In: AA. VV., 1996, La Protostoria tra Sile e Tagliamento, catalogo della mostra. Esedra, Padova
Van Dinter M, Cohen KM, Hoek WZ, Stouthamer E, Jansma E, Middelkoop H (2017) Late Holocene lowland fluvial archives and geoarchaeology: Utrecht’s case study of Rhine river abandonment under Roman and Medieval settlement. Quatern Sci Rev 166:227–265
Ventura P, Duiz A, Fontana A, Gaddi D, Gobbato L, Mandruzzato L, Oriolo F (2011) Nuovi dati sulla Via Annia dal territorio del Friuli Venezia Giulia. In: Veronese F (a cura di) Via Annia: Adria, Padova, Altino, Concordia, Aquileia - progetto di recupero e valorizzazione di un’antica strada romana. Atti della II giornata di studio, Padova, 17 giugno 2010. Padova, 17 giugno 2010, Il Poligrafo, Padova, pp 279–305
Ziliani L, Surian N (2012) Evolutionary trajectory of channel morphology and controlling factors in a large gravel-bed river. Geomorphology 173–174:104–117
Acknowledgements
This paper benefited from discussions with members of the project “EX-AQUA: Palaeohydrological Extreme Events, Evidence and Archives”, sponsored by INQUA (TERPRO, 1623P). The Municipality of Concordia Sagittaria and, in particular, Michelangelo Dal Pos is thanked for facilitating the studying of the area. The authors are indebted with Jürgen Herget for his efforts in sustaining the production of this chapter.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Fontana, A., Frassine, M., Ronchi, L. (2020). Geomorphological and Geoarchaeological Evidence of the Medieval Deluge in the Tagliamento River (NE Italy). In: Herget, J., Fontana, A. (eds) Palaeohydrology. Geography of the Physical Environment. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-23315-0_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-23315-0_5
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-23314-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-23315-0
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)