REITIA Surveying Underwater Archaeology

Lakes often constitute major historical and environmental evidences recording in their own sediments traces and echos of people living in ancient ages. Starting from the works of Ferdinand Keller (half 19th century), a lot has been said and written concerning the human lake dwellings and villages built on raised wooden platforms standing in shallow water on the shores (“palafitte”), which are a paramount chapter of the so-called “inner waters” archaeology.Since then, many studies have been accomplished relating to the geographical distribution and time framework of these settlements. In northern Italy, these are mainly located along the shores of lakes with origins in a melted glacier. From West (Trana, close to Rivoli, the Viverone lake, moors of Mercurago, Arona and Borgo Ticino in the Maggiore Lake district, lakes of Monate and Varese etc) to East (Pusiano e Annone Lake, Iseo Lake, , the island on Mincio River and many sites on the Garda Lake shores). North of Garda Lake (Ledro and Fiavè settlements), while at East one can find the Fimon settlement (“Berica-Euganea” area). To the extreme North-East of the country, the “Palù del Livenza” site, just around the springs of the homonym river. In Central Italy, Bolsena Lake, (Gran Carro settlement and Mezzano and Bracciano lakes). the “palafitte” field of study, lakes are interesting for further circumstances. As an example, the Bolsena Lake disappeared road, once linking the Martana Island to the mainland. The Imperial ships of the Nemi Lake, whose first explorations date back to 1535 (at the hand of the Italian Engineer Francesco De Marchi), and which were unfortunately destroyed in 1944 by the retreating German Army, as a final, unwise act of retaliation.As a last meaningful example, the Lazise “galea” (galley), a crystal clear evidence of the “Serenissima Venezia” fleet in the Garda Lake.