Geo-archaeology of the Grozzana area (N–E Italy)

Abstract

The extensive analysis of remote-sensed data (among which ALS-derived images) and fieldwork carried out in the Trieste Karst (N–E Italy) have shed light on archaeological landscapes largely unknown until recent years. The chronological definition of this complex palimpsest was based on the collection of findings associated to the archeological evidence, shape and orientation of detected structures and stratigraphic relations among features. This allowed to evaluate the interplay between landforms through time and to reconstruct some long-term economic strategies pursued by past communities. As a result, we present a 1:5000 map of the easternmost sector of the Trieste area, next to the border between Italy and Slovenia, approximately corresponding to the area of the map Carta Tecnica Regionale ‘Grozzana’. The map aims at providing a tool for the protection of the cultural and environmental heritage, land use planning and touristic valorization of the area.

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Geo-archaeology of the Grozzana area (N–E Italy)
Giacomo Vinci, Federico Bernardini & Stefano Furlani
To cite this article: Giacomo Vinci, Federico Bernardini & Stefano Furlani (2019) Geo-
archaeology of the Grozzana area (N–E Italy), Journal of Maps, 15:2, 697-707, DOI:
10.1080/17445647.2019.1659866
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/17445647.2019.1659866
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Science
Geo-archaeology of the Grozzana area (N–E Italy)
Giacomo Vinci
a
, Federico Bernardini
a,b
and Stefano Furlani
c
a
Multidisciplinary Laboratory, The “Abdus Salam”International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy;
b
Centro Fermi, Museo Storico
della Fisica e Centro di Studi e Ricerche ‘Enrico Fermi’, Roma, Italy;
c
Department of Mathematics and Geosciences, University of Trieste,
Trieste, Italy
ABSTRACT
The extensive analysis of remote-sensed data (among which ALS-derived images) and fieldwork
carried out in the Trieste Karst (N–E Italy) have shed light on archaeological landscapes largely
unknown until recent years. The chronological definition of this complex palimpsest was based
on the collection of findings associated to the archeological evidence, shape and orientation of
detected structures and stratigraphic relations among features. This allowed to evaluate the
interplay between landforms through time and to reconstruct some long-term economic
strategies pursued by past communities. As a result, we present a 1:5000 map of the
easternmost sector of the Trieste area, next to the border between Italy and Slovenia,
approximately corresponding to the area of the map Carta Tecnica Regionale ‘Grozzana’. The
map aims at providing a tool for the protection of the cultural and environmental heritage, land
use planning and touristic valorization of the area.
ARTICLE HISTORY
Received 6 May 2019
Revised 8 August 2019
Accepted 21 August 2019
KEYWORDS
ALS; Karst; Italy; Slovenia;
landscape; geomorphology
1. Introduction
In recent years, the extensive analysis of remote-sensed
data and systematic fieldwork carried out in the Trieste
Karst (N–E Italy) have revealed a complex palimpsest
of archaeological landscapes that was largely unknown
(Bernardini et al., 2013,2015,2018a,2018b;Vinci &
Bernardini, 2017; Bernardini, 2019). In this research,
a crucial role has been played by the extensive appli-
cation of Airborne laser scanning data (ALS) which
has become of paramount importance to detect either
archaeological or geomorphological features in forested
areas.
The chronological definition of the identified fea-
tures allowed to relate anthropogenic and natural pro-
cesses and to recognize traces of the interaction
between man and environment developed in the area
through time. In the easternmost sector of the Trieste
area, next to the border between Italy and Slovenia,
the widespread presence of several archaeological
remains dating back to different periods makes this
area particularly suitable for investigating the evolution
of the landscape.
We present here a high-resolution map of the area
around the village of Grozzana/Gročana (Figure 1(B);
Main Map), which provides a detailed description of
the archaeological remains identified in last years as
an integrated part of the karst landscape. The map
approximately corresponds to the 1:5000 map (CTR
n. 110151) of the Carta Tecnica Regionale of Friuli
Venezia Giulia (Regione Autonoma Friuli Venezia
Giulia [RAFVG], 2003). This map format makes the
proposed cartography suitable to be extended to the
entire regional territory.
2. Studied area
The studied area is about 10 km² in size and is located
in the south-eastern part of the Classical Karst Region
which is bordered to the W by the Gulf of Trieste, to
the N–W by the Friuli Plain, to the E by Slovenia
and to the S by the Istrian peninsula (Figure 1(A,B)).
The investigated area is dominated by a karst plateau
belonging to the Paleogene sequence of the Adriatic
Dinaric Platform outcrop (Vlahović,Tišljar, Velić,&
Maticec, 2005). Here, the anticline axis of the Classical
Karst dips toward S–E and the azimuth of strata turns
from N–W/S–E toward W–E(Biolchi, Furlani, Covelli,
Busetti, & Cucchi, 2016;Furlani et al., 2016). The
lithology of the area is characterized by a thick carbon-
ate platform formed from the early Cretaceous to the
early Eocene followed by the Eocene Flysch (Jurkovšek
et al., 2016 with refs.; Main Map). The plateau has an
average height of about 380 m a.s.l. slightly tilted
towards N–W. The highest peaks in the studied area
are Mt. Obrovnik (700 m), Mt. Cocusso/Kokoš
(672 m) and Mt. Goli (620 m), located respectively in
the north-eastern, north and south-eastern part. In
the southern sector, steep slopes and narrow dry karstic
valleys decline towards the Trieste gulf. A narrow valley
N–E/S–W oriented is present S of the modern village of
© 2019 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group on behalf of Journal of Maps
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted
use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
CONTACT Giacomo Vinci giacomo8vinci@gmail.com Multidisciplinary Laboratory, The “Abdus Salam”International Centre for Theoretical Physics,
Strada Costiera 11, 34151 Trieste, Italy
JOURNAL OF MAPS
2019, VOL. 15, NO. 2, 697–707
https://doi.org/10.1080/17445647.2019.1659866

Grozzana between Mt. Cocusso and Mt. Goli (Figure 1
(B)). The vegetation mainly consists of woodlands
interspersed with brushes and grassland which extend
over large areas. Besides a few small artificial ponds,
no permanent surface water or rivers occur in the
studied area. A number of caves are reported
(RAFVG, 2017) as well as several dolines (Main Map).
3. Methods
The map is the outcome of the GIS-based combined
analysis of remote-sensed data (ALS-derived images
and aerial imagery), historical maps and fieldwork con-
sisting of systematic surface and pedological surveys
carried out between the beginning of 2015 and the
end of 2018.
ALS data, originally provided by Helica Company
for the Civil Protection of Friuli Venezia Giulia using
a Laser Terrain Mapper (ALTM) Optech 3100
mounted onto a helicopter AS350 were acquired with
an average precision of 4–5 measurements per square
meter. The final DTM used for digitizing was charac-
terized by a cell size of 1 m² and a vertical accuracy
of ± 0.15 m.
Data have been processed and analyzed following the
methodology developed in other areas of Trieste Karst
and described in previous contributions (Bernardini,
2019;Bernardini et al., 2015, 2018a,2018b;Vinci & Ber-
nardini, 2017). All recognized features were systemati-
cally checked on the ground to verify the state of
conservation and the building technique of the
structures and to identify possible stratigraphic relations
with other structures and archaeological finds scatters.
The archaeological features detected through ALS
generally consist of landforms completely absorbed
by the physical environment. These can be recognized
on the ground by the presence of small topographic
ridges generally up to 1 m high buried by earthen soil
and vegetation (Figure 2). In many relevant cases,
field walking led to the collection of some diagnostic
artefacts. These findings, associated with the shape,
the orientation and, oddly, the building techniques of
buried structures, allowed to propose a chronology
for many features. In other cases, a relative chronologi-
cal attribution was proposed on the basis of strati-
graphic relationships between features. In past
decades, cross-cutting relationships have been con-
sidered as reliable chronological markers in landscape
studies in floodplain environments (e.g. De Guio
et al., 1999,2009) and are being taking on increasing
importance with the expanding application of ALS
(Draganits et al., 2015;Vletter & Schloen, 2016).
In the examined area, most of the stratigraphic
relationships are provided by the visual comparison
between detected features and the early nineteenth cen-
tury Franciscan Cadastral Maps (hereafter FCM). This
allowed to consider all features covered or cut by fea-
tures (especially dry-stone masonry, field divisions
and paths) recorded in the FCM to be earlier than
the nineteenth century. All gathered chronological
information allowed to define the chronology of the
features according to the spans presented in Table 1.
Figure 1. (A) The position of the investigate area (red line box) within the north-eastern Adriatic regions. (B) The investigated area
(black line box) within the Trieste Karst and the indication of the main localities mentioned in the text: Grozzana (1); Pesek (2); Draga
S. Elia (3).
698 G. VINCI ET AL.

Geological and geomorphological information were
drawn from previous relevant literature (Cucchi e
Piano, 2013;Jurkovšek et al., 2016), ALS data
interpretation and field surveys. Afterwards, with the
aim of evaluating the thickness of soil deposits and
assessing the overall capability of the area for agro-
pastoral purposes, a pedological survey was carried
out by designing a 250 by 250 m sample grid within
the study area. The new cores were collected through
an Ejikelkamp hand auger, using an Edelman head for
sediment. For this purpose, the depth of the samples
was checked in the field with the uncertainty esti-
mated as ± 0.05 m, while the description of sediments
was derived from the previous literature (ERSA,
2006).
4. Results
4.1. Archaeological features
The archaeological complexes present in the studied
area and reported in the Main Map are briefly
described in the following sub-paragraphs and listed
in chronological order.
4.1.1. Prehistoric period
Scattered prehistoric finds (Main Map, n. 1).
The earliest human presence in the area is testified
by some prehistoric flint artefacts and rare tools, such
as three triangles and a backed point found in the
area of Mt. Stena (Bernardini, 2007, p. 86, Plate 1: 1–
4) and dated to the Mesolithic (Bernardini, 2007;
Biagi, Starnini, & Voytek, 2008;Guerreschi, 1998).
They most probably show that this territory was visited
in this period for reasons related to hunting activities.
Other few flint tools from the same zone can be attrib-
uted to younger prehistoric phases. A single flint bla-
delette was discovered during the recent survey on
the Mt. Cocusso (Main Map. n. 2) and could be per-
haps related to prehistoric hunting activities, such as
the Mesolithic artefacts of Mt. Stena.
Table 1. Chronological spans of the archaeological features
presented in the Main Map. For the Protohistoric period, it
was adopted the chronological system proposed by
Cardarelli (2009).
Chronological
span Absolute dating Identified features
Prehistoric period Around 10000 BC –
2200 BC
Scattered materials dated
back to a period spanning
from Mesolithic to Copper
Age
Protohistoric
period
Around 2200 BC –
end of third
century BC
Structures and associated
finds dated back to the
Bronze and Iron Ages
Roman Period second century BC –
476 AD
Structures and associated
finds dated back to the
Roman period
Modern-
contemporary
period
nineteenth to
twentieth century
Structures dated back to the
late Modern-
Contemporary period
Undefined –Features having lacking,
patchy or unreliable
chronological attribution
Figure 2. Parallel relict wall structures attributed to the Roman period visible on the field as ridges in the north-western part of the
investigated area, corresponding to a large possible Roman building (Main Map, n. 4). View from W.
JOURNAL OF MAPS 699

Traces of early use of the area are also shown by a
broken flint arrowhead found in the western part of
the area (Main Map, n. 1; Figure 6, 1). This type of
arrowhead, having short wings and short peduncle, is
attested between the Neolithic and the Copper Age
over a wide area including at some close caves of the
Trieste Karst (e.g. Gilli & Montagnari, 1993, p. 153,
Fig. 73, pp. 728–731). It is worth mentioning that a
probable peduncle of a flint arrowhead was found in
the area of Mt. Stena too (Bernardini, 2007, p. 86,
Plate 1:10).
4.1.2. Protohistoric period
Supposed protohistoric burial mound of Mt. Cocusso
(Main Map, n. 2).
Remain of a putative protohistoric mound located
on Mt. Cocusso. Firstly described by Marchesetti
(1903, p. 32) and consisting of dry stone blocks, it is
considered an ancient structure for its shape and build-
ing technique, well comparable to similar ones found in
Istria and Friuli that are generally dated to the first half
of the second millennium BC (Calosi & Bernardini,
2012, p. 138; Flego & Rupel, 1993, p. 177).
Supposed protohistoric stoneworks, and cairns in the
area of Mandarje (Main Map, n. 3).
Remains of stoneworks and cairns in the area called
Mandarje, located in the north-western part of the
studied area on the border between Italy and Slovenia.
Some of them were cut by some modern structures
reported in the FCM (Figure 3). Based on the building
techniques and proximity to the large hill fort of Veliko
Gradišče, these structures have been assigned to the
protohistoric period and interpreted as enclosed fields
related the agro-pastoral use of the area (Bernardini
& Vinci, 2016, p. 80 and Figure 3). In the Classic
Karst Region, similar structures were also found next
to other protohistoric hill forts, such as Tabor pri Vrab-
čah (Mlekuž, 2015).
4.1.3. Roman period
Roman building (Main Map, n. 4).
Traces of a large ancient structure of about 1 ha
assigned to the Roman period for its shape and orien-
tation (Auriemma & Karinja, 2007;Bernardini et al.,
2018a). Some of the wall structures, recognizable on
the field as modest ridges of few decimetres high, are
covered by modern dry walls recorded in the FCM
(Figures 2 and 4).
It is featured by an L-shaped body in the north-east-
ern part with a main rectangular eastern building of
about 20 by 60 m containing at least one transversal
wall which overlooks a quadrangular courtyard of
about 50 by 50 m. A similarly oriented building of
about 20 by 20 m lies approximately 30 m south of
the rectangular construction. The orientation of the
buildings (15–18 degrees W of the N) is similar to
that of the Grociana piccola inner structure (Main
Map, n. 6 and infra) and the nearby possible field div-
ision system (Main Map, n. 5b and infra).
Roman land divisions (Main Map, n. 5 a-b-c).
Remains of Roman land division systems covered by
modern land division structures reported in the FCM
(Figure 5). A N–W/S–E oriented linear major tract
(about 1300 m) has been recognized in the central
part of the studied area and it extends in the south-
eastern part with a minor tract of about 350 m (Main
Map, n. 5a). Parallel structures perpendicular to the
former were recognized in ALS-derived images in the
surrounding of the modern village of Pesek (south-
western part of the study area, Main Map, n. 5b). Simi-
lar orientations of about 42 degrees E of N have been
identified also elsewhere in the Classic Karst region
(Bernardini et al., 2018a, Supplementary S15; Mlekuž
2018). While such orientation is not reported from
the structures of Tergeste (Braini, 2011), it matches
the orientation of the inner structures of the large
San Rocco military fortification, already built during
the second century BC, probably in connection with
the first Roman conquest of the area (Bernardini
et al., 2015).
Other possible Roman features interpreted as a part
of the land division system are located N of the path of
a detected Roman road (Main Map, n. 7 and infra) with
the southernmost main wall starting from the road
Figure 3. Remains of supposed protohistoric field divisions in
the area of Mandarje. (A) Local dominance visualization of DEM
(10–20 m search radius); (B) vectorized structures (blue), mod-
ern field divisions recorded in the FCM (light blue), cairns
(grey).
700 G. VINCI ET AL.

itself (Main Map, n. 5c). They were detected on the
ground as rectilinear modest ridges and covered by
modern land division structures reported in the
FCM. They are featured by two parallel main walls,
about 200 m long with minor structures between
them and show an orientation of about 14 degrees W
of N, slightly different to that of the inner fortification
of Mt. Grociana piccola (about 18–22 degrees N–W,
Bernardini et al., 2018a: Fig 5B and S12).
Roman military fortifications of Grociana Piccola
(Main Map, n. 6).
Remains of Roman Republican fortifications fea-
tured by a trapezoidal structure with rounded angles
(about 160 × 95 × 170 × 120 m) E–W oriented, hous-
ing a smaller rectangular one (100 × 43 m) with a
different orientation of about 18 degrees tilted from
the horizontal E–W direction. The remains of the
external wall are recognizable as a small ridge (3–
4 m wide and less than 1 m high) while the ruins of
the inner rectangular fortification are detectable as a
more imposing ridge of about 6 m in width and 1–
2 m in height. Two main clavicula-shaped entrances
have been recognized, respectively located on the
northern and on the eastern side of the larger struc-
ture, of which the latter was not published in previous
contributions. Archaeological surface and metal
detector surveys within and in the surroundings of
the camp allowed to collect tens of Roman shoe hob-
nails mostly dated back to the late Republican period,
amphorae and pottery fragments (Bernardini, 2019;
Bernardini et al., 2015, 2018a).
Roman road (Main Map, n. 7).
Remains of a main Roman road, possibly connect-
ing the Roman centres of Aquileia and Tergeste with
Tarsatica, whose itinerary has been reconstructed for
more than 4 km. It is featured by several tracks of
about 8–10 m width in some parts cut into the lime-
stone and prepared with gravel. Over 200 Roman
shoe hobnails of both Republican and Imperial period
were found within or close to the route (Bernardini
et al., 2018a;Figures 6, 2).
In the central part of the identified path, the road is
interrupted by at least one large sinkhole, possibly ori-
ginated by an underlying cave below, whose likely pres-
ence has been revealed by geophysical surveys. All
gathered data suggest to place the formation of the
sinkhole and the depression existing nowadays after
Roman times and to attribute the disruption of the
road to the transfer of soil from the karst depression
into the cave (Bernardini et al., 2018a).
Roman structures in the area of Merišče (Main
Map, n. 8).
Figure 4. Remain of probable Roman building in the north-western part of the investigated area. (A) Orthophoto (2003) and plan of
the vectorized structures; (B) FCM of the area (from: Archivio di Stato di Trieste) and plan of the vectorized structures; (C) Local
Dominance visualization of DEM (10–20 m search radius); (D) vectorized structures (red), modern field divisions recorded in the
FCM (light blue), cairns or other possible structures (red circles).
JOURNAL OF MAPS 701

Remains of Roman structures, located in the
southern part of the studied area N of the modern vil-
lage of Draga S. Elia, locally known as Merišče. It was
already known from early ‘90 and is featured by mod-
est ridges with associated materials (tile fragments and
pottery jigsaw pieces) assigned the Roman period
(Flego & Župančič, 1991, pp. 57–58; Figure 7) and
mapped in detail through ALS. It is featured by long
parallel possibly enclosing terraces S–W/N–E oriented.
A rectangular structure of about 40 m by 30 m with a
central courtyard is visible in the north-eastern part
of the area. By comparison, this structure looks similar
to the probable Roman building located in the north-
eastern area (Main Map, n. 4 and see supra). The pres-
ence of Roman land division features around this
building is in agreement with the interpretation of
this complex as a small vicus, as proposed by Flego
and Župančič(1991).
4.1.4. Modern-contemporary period
Remain of lime kilns, icehouses, and ponds (Main Map,
n. 9 a-b).
A few circular icehouses are attested. They consist of
deep wells made of dry stone masonry built in the early
nineteenth and first half of twentieth centuries to store
ice supplies. Two main clusters of these structures are
present in the area N of Draga S. Elia (Main Map,
n. 9a; Figure 8(A)) and W of Grozzana. They are
Figure 5. Remain of Roman land divisions in the south-eastern
area. (A) Orthophoto (2003) and plan of the vectorized struc-
tures; (B) Vectorized structures (indicated by red arrows) super-
imposed to the Local Dominance visualization of DEM (10–
20 m search radius); (C) vectorized structures (red), modern
field divisions recorded in the FCM (light blue).
Figure 6. (A) Flint arrowhead found at surface in the western
part of the studied area. Black tic marks on the drawings indi-
cate the reconstructed prosecution of the arrowhead’s profile;
(B) Different types of hobnails found at surface along the ident-
ified Roman road tracks (after Bernardini et al., 2018a,Figure 5).
Photo by V. Macovaz and drawings by A. Fragiacomo.
702 G. VINCI ET AL.

generally close to small artificial ponds (Figure 8(B))
from which the ice was extracted during the winter
season.
Other circular structures with earthen raised edges
are remains of temporary kilns for the production of
lime (Main Map, n. 9b). Similar structures were tra-
ditionally built and use by the local population until
the nineteenth century and their remains are
widespread over the whole Karst region, mainly at
the bottom of dolines.
Military trenches of the First and Second World War
(Main Map, n. 10)
Several trenches dug in the first half of the twentieth
century are attested in the area and well visible in the
ALS-derived images. Some of them were probably
used as a military training camp during the First
World War and were restored and reuse during the
Second World War.
Terraces, buildings, paths and other features of unde-
termined period (Main Map, n. 11 a-b-c-d).
Remains of terraces and orthogonal walls in the S–
W part of the studied area covered by later structures
recorded in the FCM. Main structures have a N–W/
S–E orientation which follows the natural slope of the
hill (Main Map, n. 11a). S of these terraces, an
elongated curvilinear track was recognized (Main
Map, n. 11b). Other wall structures interpreted as ter-
races are located in the central part of the studied
area (Main Map, n. 11c), close to the finding of a prob-
able N–S oriented path (Main Map, n. 11d). As some of
these are covered or cross-cut by features mapped in
the FCM, they can be attributed to a previous period.
A possible attribution to the Roman times can be ten-
tatively proposed for a roughly rectangular structure,
most probably a building, of about 20 m by 14 m
dimensions (Main Map, n. 11e). This is located south
of the Roman building in the N–W side of the map
(Main Map, n. 4).
4.2. Karst landforms, lithostratigraphic units
and soil thickness
Most of the area is dominated by a wide karst plateau
relatively flat, locally remodeled by human activities.
Light-grey limestone beds generally dipping toward
S–E outcrop. The plateau is riddled by 189 dolines,
which represent the most significant mesoscale epigean
karst landforms in the area (Figure 9(A)). They have a
variable width ranging from few meters to about
200 m, only 27 of which of them exceed a width of
100 m. About 25 of them host red soil deposits at
their bottom over an estimated surface larger than
Figure 8. (A) Circular dry stones icehouse located N of Draga S. Elia; (B) Remains of a small pond located in the same area.
Figure 7. Remains of Roman land divisions in the area of Mer-
išče. (A) Local Dominance visualization of DEM (10–20 m search
radius). The red arrows indicate the area of the rectangular
complex; (B) digitized structures (red), modern field divisions
recorded in the FCM (light blue).
JOURNAL OF MAPS 703

1000 m
2
(Main Map). Other typical karst landforms
are the caves, that are widespread in the whole studied
area and showing peculiarities in shape and dimen-
sions (Figure 9(B); RAFVG, 2017). The human occu-
pation of the caves is well documented in the whole
Karst and is attested elsewhere in the studied area
(Flego & Župančič, 1991, p. 19). Traces of palaeo-
fluvial erosion are indicated by some dry valleys pre-
sent in the area, generally having a V-shaped profile
(Figure 9(C,D); Main Map). Vegetation bushes and
grassland generally covering the underlying rocks are
widespread in the studied area (Figure 9(E)) and
often correspond to pastures or limited cultivated
fields. Differently, on the southern slopes of Mt.
Cocusso and Mt. Goli as well as on the several slopes
of V-shaped valleys, outcrops of massive limestone
beds occur (Figure 9(F); Main Map).
The pedological survey was carried out to evaluate
the land capabilities for agro-pastoral purposes.
Dolines were not considered in this survey as they
are well known to have been exploited for agriculture
purposes until recent times. In fact, having well devel-
oped reddish clayey soils sometimes thicker than 4 m
and offering protection from the wind, dolines consti-
tute the preferential locations for traditional agriculture
in the Karst (Novaković, Simoni, & Mušič,1999;Fabec,
2012). The surveys carried out allowed to detail the
information already reported by ERSA (2006). The
only sector where deep soils have been found in the
studied area is represented by the narrow valley located
south of the village of Grozzana. Here, quaternary red-
dish clayey deposits up to 12 m thick previously
classified as Rhodi-Profondic Luvisol (ERSA, 2006:
UC E9) were identified. N of the modern town of
Draga S. Elia, reddish clayey soils developed from the
alteration of the Flysch bedrock were surveyed. These
soils classified as Calcari-Epileptic Cambisol (ERSA,
2006: F3) have an average depth of about 0.4 m. The
remaining area consists of reddish silt and clayey-silt
soils of limited thickness, generally thinner than
0.3 m or almost absent (less than 0.15 m and generally
around 0.05–0.10 m), classified as Rendzic Leptosol,
Epileptic Phaeozem and Lithic Leptosol (ERSA, 2006:
E13, E7, E12, E6). It appears meaningful that several
detected archaeological structures such as those in
the surroundings of the Roman building (Main Map,
n. 4), Merišče (Main Map, n. 8), Mandarje (Main
Map, n. 3) and Mt. Goli (Main Map, n. 11a) as well
as some areas in the surroundings of the detected
Roman field divisions (Main Map, n. 5a, 5b, 5c) are
Figure 9. Landscape and landforms in the area of Grozzana. (A) doline; (B) cave; (C) dry karst valley; (D) flat valley filled by Qua-
ternary deposits; (E) karstic land covered by vegetation; (F) outcropping limestone beds.
704 G. VINCI ET AL.

located in areas where soils are generally thicker than
0.15 cm. Similarly, most of these areas have been
exploited in different periods, at least from Roman
until the nineteenth century, as suggested by the pres-
ence of a dense field system in the FCM (Figure 10;
Main Map).
5. Discussion and conclusions
Until recent years only a few surface prehistoric
finds, the mound of Mt. Cocusso, the Meriščeand
Grociana piccola sites, were known in the studied
area though the latter context was wrongly inter-
preted as a pre-Roman settlement (Flego & Rupel,
1993; Marchesetti, 1903). The analysis of ALS-
derived images and the use of combined techniques
allowed to riddle the map with a significant number
of archaeological features and to specify in many
cases their shape, chronology and possible functions.
The chronological attribution of the features of this
palimpsest was based on cross-cutting stratigraphic
relationships with early nineteenth century struc-
tures reported by the FCM, shape, orientation,
building techniques and associated archaeological
finds. This allowed to enlighten what some authors
defined recently as the ‘archaeological continuum’
of the area (Campana, 2018).
A few prehistoric flint artefacts demonstrate an
ephemeral human presence in the area since Mesolithic
times probably connected to hunting activities. Though
traces of protohistoric settlements are not attested so
far in the studied area, tangible traces of this period
are likely the remains of the Mt. Cocusso mound and
the Mandarje land division system, both probably
related to the nearby Veliko Gradišče hill fort, located
just some hundred meters N–E of the investigated
area (Bernardini & Vinci, 2016; Marchesetti, 1903;
Petru, 1975, p. 136). With the advent of the Roman
period, the impact of human activities on the landscape
increases with the construction of military fortifica-
tions, roads, small settlements, large buildings and reg-
ularly planned land division systems, which
considerably contributed to remodel the natural land-
scape. Almost absent or unreliable are the archaeologi-
cal data about the Grozzana landscape in Medieval and
Modern times. Some Modern-Contemporary struc-
tures identified include military trenches, icehouses,
lime kilns and field divisions, the latter recorded in
the FCM.
Though sedimentological data of dolines infillings in
a close sector of the Karst were interpreted as evidence
of regional soil erosion events in last 5000 years (Fabec,
2012), the archaeological data here presented do not
support a considerable change in the soil distribution
and thickness since protohistory, at least in the
Figure 10. DEM of the area and plan of the cores with respect to the archaeological features. The numbers indicate the thickness of
soil deposits.
JOURNAL OF MAPS 705

investigated area. This is testified by the good preser-
vation of ephemeral structures in areas covered by
very thin soil, such as the external fortification of
Grociana piccola, the finding of tiny prehistoric Meso-
lithic flints found at surface together with modern
finds.
Therefore, the existence of few limited areas suit-
able for agro-pastoral purposes appears to have
affected the evolution of the rural landscape. In fact,
whereas the settlement organization has significantly
changed through time, cultivated fields and pastures,
documented by both Roman and early nineteenth
century field divisions (Main Map), have been clus-
tered over some specific areas where deeper soils are
present. It differs the area of Mandarje, probably
used during protohistoric times, where agro-pastoral
activities were likely carried out under control and
protection of the large fortified settlement of Veliko
Gradišče.
As a final remark, it is important to enlighten the
potential use of this map for different scopes including
the protection and valorization of the cultural and
environmental heritage and land use planning. On
this line, the accordance with the Regione Autonoma
Friuli Venezia Giulia map standards makes desirable
the future development of the proposed cartography
at the regional scale.
Software
DTMs were produced in SAGA GIS. Most of the
remaining work (analysis, visualization, map design)
was done in QGIS. Adobe Illustrator was used to
improve the graphics of the map. The v.surf.rst interp-
olation algorithm available in Grass Gis 7 was used to
create the bathymetric map of soil depth from collected
cores.
Acknowledgements
This research was supported by the official scientificagree-
ment for the study of the archaeological landscape of Friuli
Venezia Giulia signed in March 2016 among the Multidis-
ciplinary Laboratory of the ‘Abdus Salam International
Centre for Theoretical Physics’,theDepartmentofMath-
ematics and Geosciences of Trieste University and Soprin-
tendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio del Friuli
Venezia Giulia. We would like to acknowledge the Trieste
State Archive and the Ispettorato agricoltura e foreste di
Gorizia e Trieste for the authorization to use the georefer-
enced version of the Franciscan Cadastral Maps, which
were georeferenced by Alessandro Sgambati. We also
thankVanjaMacovazforhisphotosofaflint tool, Andrea
Fragiacomo for his drawings of selected archaeological arte-
facts. Sara Biolchi for her contribution and support to the
study of the geology of the area and for sharing some
related vectorized geological data and Roberto Todero for
his precious information about the military structures
present in the area.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
ORCID
Giacomo Vinci http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7905-9149
Federico Bernardini http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3282-8799
Stefano Furlani http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8677-9526
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