Cisterns as markers of ancient human settlement: investigation methods and field survey strategies from Pantelleria Island (Italy)

Because of its volcanic origin, Pantelleria is a waterless island in the middle of the Sicily channel. Climate and environmental features make the island inhospitable for human life. Since the earliest Punic occupation, the inhabitants solved the problem of water supply with cisterns. #is article deals with the methods used and the results obtained from an extensive survey carried out across the island within the frame of the Archaeological Map of Pantelleria Island Project. After a short introduction to the research context, the paper focuses on the method used during the "eld survey with particular attention to the problems connected to the identi"cation of underground cisterns in relation to their preservation. Cisterns are used as marker of ancient settlements and they, combined with other archaeological data available from Pantelleria (surveys and excavations at the Acropolis, Scauri Scalo and Lago di Venere) made possible the reconstruction of the major historical settlements of the island.