Methodological Issues for the Integrated Analysis of Landscapes of Power: the Case Study of Volterra (centuries 1st BC-5th AD)

The paper analyzed Volterra and its territory between the centuries first BC-fifth. AD to show the effectiveness of a comparative, diachronic, multidisciplinary methodological approach applied to ancient landscapes. All available sources were considered, integrating data from the most recent archaeological research and unpublished contexts and combining them with the new theories on Roman elites. Thanks to a detailed investigation of Volterran marginal areas, the paper suggested solutions for the different evolutive dynamics between the inland areas and the coast. The reassessment of information within a broader social, economic, and cultural frame explained why the main changes in settlement distribution occurred in the marginal areas. In conclusion, the detailed analysis of the frontier regions and the integrated approach prompted a complete reconsideration of the Volterran settlement pattern evolution providing further insights to reconsider the historical complexity of the district and its landscapes.