The relationship between early settlements in arid environments and sources of water supply: the case of the Bronze Age site of San Vincenzo, Stromboli, Italy

This paper explores the relationship between humans and their environment regarding water, in some marginal lands such as the Aeolian Islands, South Italy, by examining the role that water access and availability played in determining the choice for the location of a settlement in the Bronze Age (BA). A Digital Terrain Model (DTM) was used to locate the areas where water would be collected naturally and to establish whether these areas were in the proximity of the settlement. The case study chosen is the BA village of San Vincenzo on the island of Stromboli but water collection practices are discussed for other Aeolian islands as well.