Flooding in Northern Italy during the Early Middle Ages: resilience and adaptation

Alluvial phenomena are well documented by archaeologists all over Northern Italy, and have been often linked to events reported by literary sources (e.g. the flooding of 589 described by Paul the Deacon). This paper will discuss, on the basis of the archaeological documentation of several case studies, flooding in the Middle Ages, considering it both as a periodical threat in certain regions and as resilience, or rather as the capacity of the local people to bring the land back to its original appearance. The paper also discusses the economic and social impact of alluvial phenomena. They were a hazard for populations forced to change settlement distribution, but also offered new economic opportunities, through the exploitation of wetlands and forests.