Revue d'Archéométrie, 25, 2001

COASTAL ARCHAEOLOGY IN NORTH ETRURIA

North Coastal Etruria.

Géomorphologie, archaeological, archive,

magnetometric and geoelectrical researches

Marinella PASQUINUCCI*. Simonetta MENCHELLI*. Renzo MAZZAN77**, Mario MARCHISIO*** & Laurent D 'ONOFRIO***

Some archaeometric aspects of multidisciplinary researches are presented concerning North Coastal (now North coastal Tuscany). The studied area (lower Arno and Serchio, Fine and Cecina river valleys : fig. 1) consists of an alluvional Holocenic plain mostly formed by sand and silt deposits and bordered by mountainous/ hilly ranges (Monti Pisani in the North ; Colline Livor- nesi in the South).

At present the soil is mainly agricultural in the plain and lower hillslopes ; Mediterranean scrub covers the greatest part of the coastal strip ; woods are on the highest slopes of the inner hills.

In this area an intensive research programme is run by the University of Pisa (Dipartimento di Scienze Storiche del Mondo Antico) which includes géomorphologie non destructive techniques applied to landscape and settlement archaeology, archaeological researches