Abstract
Geophysical events in the Mediterranean basin: a geomythological approach.
Dr. Mario Aversa
Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), Rome - Italy
The history of the Mediterranean countries is characterized by the occurrence of natural catastrophes. This distinctive feature has played a relevant role in giving rise to the religious interpretation of extraordinary phenomena and prodigious events which later had become myths, legends and miracles.
The mutual interdisciplinary exploration on natural impacts and physical events is a very important strategy for the life of our planet in the geographical areas, geologically characterized.
Starting from investigations carried out on Environment Evolution, Hydrogeology, historical Geology and Geoarchaeology, historical Hydrography and ancient Harbours, also engineers, hydrologists, physicists, climatologists and oceanographers, jointly with geologists, volcanologists and geophysicists, geographers and archaeologists, historians, philologists and anthropologists, and not least, with experts in remote sensing interpretation have often felt the need to verify whether or not all information arising from myths, legends and miracles was founded on a true basis.
The interpretative methodology, objectively correct and jointly usable, involves disciplines pertinent to humanistic sciences such as, for instance, History and Historiography, Archaeology and Ancient Topography, Philology and Etymology as well as the wide area of Demo – Ethno – Anthropological disciplines, especially when information appears directly in the form of myth.
The history of catastrophic events and occurred disasters is a very important scientific topic.
An archaeological artefact is holy because can reveal an unsuspected physical reality and save our lives.
ELEMENTS OF JOINT TERRITORIAL EXPLORATORY METHODOLOGY:
- Morphological structural and tectonic evidences
- Evidences of classical and medieval archaeology
- Specific guiding toponyms and local peculiar toponyms
- Highlighting of ancient documents to be verified from the hystoriographical and philological viewpoint
- Historically superimposed places of worship
- Presence of mythological and demo-ethno-anthropological elements
- Highlighting of repetitiveness of natural phenomena
- Geophysical delimitation of territorial analysis
