The port of Neapolis: memories and traces of the coastal landscape in ancient times

During the excavation for the construction of two new subway lines, which run from East to West along the city of Naples, traces and memories of the ancient Neapolitan coastal landscape emerged. Most of the ancient coast finds were discovered during the railway stations building in the historic center of Naples. Moreover, thanks to geo-archaeological investigations conducted during the construction of the urban transport infrastructure, in Municipio square the Greek-Roman port of Naples has been brought to light. As confirmed by geognostic surveys, the transformations of the Neapolitan bay shore lines depended on anthropic and natural phenomena. Bradysism, silting of the coast with the accumulation of debris carried by the lavas, as well as the waters coming from the hills surrounding the plains where the Greek colonies of Parthenope/Palepolis and Neapolis were founded, were responsible of bay transformation. From the huge quantity of traces found it has been possible to reconstruct the urban layout of the ancient port re-emerged with its docks and ships. The studies of archaeologists and geologists through the reconstruction of stratigraphy and data of geoarchaeological prospecting campaigns, have clarified how the bay has been disappearing over the centuries. This disappearance was caused by the overlapping of natural (subsidence, swamps, and coverings) and of anthropic phenomena, until the complete transformation of the coastline by the castings for the construction of the modern port.