STORIA DELL'ANTICA POLIS DI ELEA: DA CITTÀ PORTUALE A INSEDIAMENTO RURALE

Infilling process caused by rivers transported sediments is a natural event for close-to-estuaries harbours. It could depend by shallow water preventing sediments to move to open sea. Today the problem can be solved dredging the harbor bottom; this way sediments are removed and the harbor made deeper. Once devices and technologies were different, so, in case of infilling, harbours were abandoned in favour of new locations. In other events, depending on reasons we'll analyze in our paper, people abandoned coastal towns to settle down in internal areas and to pratcise agriculture and craftsmanship. Historical and geomorphic evolution of ancient Elea, from foundation to decay, will give a clear image of what could happen in the past to a Mediterranean coastal town.