Convivere con i fenomeni sismici nel mediterraneo antico
Internationaler Kongress vom 25. - 26. Oktober 2019 in Cascia (Italien) und vom 20 - 21. November in Le Mans (Frankreich)
18.09.2019
Vom 25. - 26. Oktober findet der internationale Kongress zum Thema "Convivere con i fenomeni sismici nel mediterraneo antico" in Cascia (Italien) und vom 20. - 21. November in Le Mans (Frankreich) statt.
Das Programm des Doppelkongresses finden Sie hier.
The Mediterranean area has traditionally been characterised by a strong seismicity: from the V c. BC to the end of the XX c., almost 900 earthquakes are documented for the Italian peninsula alone.
Paleoseismology and historical seismicity studies, with support from disciplines such as geology and archaeology, enable us to study the frequency and consequences of earthquakes in the past. We have descriptions of these natural catastrophes handed down by the Ancients, but they lack the scientific knowledge that we now have. Each society proposed its own explanation for this kind of phenomena according to its culturally-specific way of understanding the reality. For instance, earthquakes were sometimes ascribed to the gods (such as the Greek Poseidon Ennosigaios and Ennosichthon and the Roman Neptunus) and they were read as omens to interpret the future. However, it is also possible to take into account more philosophical and naturalistic explanations, such as the ones proposed by Aristotle and Seneca.
Two related conferences are planned on this topic in order to strengthen the synergies among the many disciplines that aim to investigate the relationship between man and the environment, from Antiquity to the Middle Ages. The final goal is an understanding of the aspects that determine the resilient behaviour of ancient communities faced with the threat of a natural disaster. The first conference will be held in Cascia (IT) from the 25th to the 26th of October 2019. Cascia is a town in Umbria where seismic activity has left tangible traces in the territory as well as in the archaeological and historical heritage. The second conference will take place at Le Mans and Nantes Universities (FR) from the 20th to the 21st of November 2020.