RICERCHE INTERDISCIPLINARI PER LA RICOSTRUZIONE DEL PAESAGGIO COSTIERO DI SARCAPOS (VILLAPUTZU, SARDEGNA): PRIME IPOTESI DI LAVORO

Abstract

Situated at the mouth of the Flumendosa river, in a strategic position for the control of the Tyrrhenian trade routes
and of the inland metalliferous basins, the settlement of Sarcapos is usually counted among the main fluvial
harbours of the Sardinian east coast in the Punic and Roman period. In an attempt to expand the knowledge
about the site and the surrounding area, the University of Bologna, in collaboration with the IAS-CNR of Oristano
and the University of Roma Tre, launched a program of geophysical, geomorphological and stratigraphic
investigations aiming to the reconstruction of the ancient coastal landscape. The research, still in progress, allowed
to formulate some working hypotheses regarding changes in the coastline between the 4th millennium BC
and the modern ages, suggesting a location of the ancient settlement in a marine, lagoon or estuarine area. At
the same time, a geophysical survey conducted in 2017 enabled the identification of the southeastern limit of the
residential quarters and a possible palaeochannel or artificial moat.

Key words: Sarcapos, fluvial harbours, coastal landscape, Punic and Roman age.