Adrion, charter routes from antiquity to modern times

In the frame of the APPRODI ADRION project, the study area corresponding to the administrative limit of Ortona city has been analysed to develop an archive of archeological and geological data based on a GIS environment which includes aerial/satellite images, digital elevation model as well as historical maps. Ortona is mentioned in the V Geography book of Strabone as epineion (military harbor) of Frentani, a pre-Roman population, established from the 6th century BC along the Abruzzo coast and in the internal territory of the Valle del Sangro. Afterward, it was a fortified settlement (castrum) with a military port and an arsenal to defend the promontory and the population. The city is organized in two ancient quarters: Terravecchia and Terranova, formed by a complex Middle Age internal district. In such a diverse territory, the interest in the past history of the town has been strong over time, but not systemic. The main objective of this work was to collect the available information on the historical, archaeological and geological settings on the evolution of the coastal area within the Ortona administrative limit. This interdisciplinary geo-archaeological approach highlights the strong importance of combining the different information to correctly assess the historical and environmental evolution which appears not well exploited for this area while it has been successfully applied in other adriatic coastal sites. There are still many open questions on the use and presence of ports in this western side of the central Adriatic sea during greek and roman period which deserve further study and investigations and this work is a first step for a more detailed work in the future.