Approaching Marginal Landscapes in Archaeology: the Case of Ravenna’s Reclaimed Wetlands

Among the diverse types of marginal landscapes, reclaimed wetlands present interpretive challenges due to the rapid sedimentation resulting from reclamation activities, which hinders traditional fieldwork methods. In this paper, we therefore adopt a multiscalar approach that integrates historical, geomorphological, sedimentological, geochemical, and paleontological data, along with remote sensing, to investigate the human-environment interactions in the northern and northwestern hinterland of Ravenna. These areas were originally dominated by wetlands, which have been extensively reclaimed from the Middle Ages to the present day. The integration of these datasets enabled us to better contextualize both previous findings and those collected through recent surveys, as well as to carry out a detailed analysis of the landscape transformations, largely driven by reclamation processes and flood events. Finally, we reflect on the unique interpretive challenges posed by reclaimed wetlands, discuss their presumed “marginality,” and emphasize the need for a creative research agenda to overcome the specific limitations of these landscapes, as highlighted by ongoing debates in the field.