Ricerc@Sapienza

The hydrogeological vulnerability within an archaeological area constitutes a high environmental risk factor for the excavation and safeguard of the historical ruins. Specifically, among the possible scenery due to a conspicuous presence of water, the interception of groundwater and the consequent submerging, even temporary, of the archaeological structures, can damage the monuments, makes excavation very difficult and expensive and sometimes even prevents it.
However, the effects of water table in these particular lands, defines as wetlands by the scientific literature, cannot be reduced to the simple conclusive evaluation of the technical and design choices made during the excavation and at the conclusion of the same, but must necessarily take into account a lot of connections linking hydrogeological condition and features of the archaeological stratigraphy.
For this reason, the aim of the paper is to compare two important and very famous historic sites: the archaeological park of Sibaritide (KR) and that of Butrint, in southern Albania, whose millennial events have been inextricably linked to the subsident nature of their soil and to the immanent presence of water.
Taking into account the impact of climate change and environmental sustainability will probably be the real challenge for the future of these areas