Water Cisterns Survey in Pantelleria Island, Italy

The daily problem of water supply, nowadays as well as in the ancient times, is typical of those regions deeply conditioned by climatic factors or a geomorphological nature in which the scarcity of natural water sources is constant all year round. A particularly good example of human adaptation to a dry environment is that of Pantelleria Island, where water cisterns are widely distributed throughout the territory. The two different types of cisterns identified, bottle-shaped and vaulted roof, can be considered as landscape “markers” useful to recognize the presence and the chronology of archaeological sites. The results of four research campaigns (1999-2002), carried out in selected sample areas, provided useful information on the settlement patterns developed in antiquity on the island, in particular for Punic and Roman times. However, the analyses must consider some problems connected to the reconnaissance of archaeological remains by field-walking. Finally, particular attention will be focused on the Acropolis of San Marco, where data can be supported by stratigraphical excavations