title: A lead isotope perspective on urban development in ancient Naples.
abstract: The influence of a sophisticated water distribution system on urban development in Roman times is tested against the impact of Vesuvius volcanic activity, in particular the great eruption of AD 79, on all of the ancient cities of the Bay of Naples (Neapolis). Written accounts on urbanization outside of Rome are scarce and the archaeological record sketchy, especially during the tumultuous fifth and sixth centuries AD when Neapolis became the dominant city in the region. Here we show that isotopic ratios of lead measured on a well-dated sedimentary sequence from Neapolis' harbor covering the first six centuries CE have recorded how the AD 79 eruption was followed by a complete overhaul of Neapolis' water supply network. The Pb isotopic signatures of the sediments further reveal that the previously steady growth of Neapolis' water distribution system ceased during the collapse of the fifth century AD, although vital repairs to this critical infrastructure were still carried out in the aftermath of invasions and volcanic eruptions.
authors.affiliation: Maison de l'Orient et de la Méditerranée, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR 5133, 69365 Lyon Cedex 7, France; Department of Archaeology, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BF, United Kingdom; Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard-Lyon I, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR 5276, 69007 Lyon, France; hdelile@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Hugo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Delile
authors.affiliation: Classics, School of Humanities, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Lanarkshire G12 8QQ, United Kingdom;
authors.forename: Duncan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Keenan-Jones
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard-Lyon I, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR 5276, 69007 Lyon, France; Department of Earth Science, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005;
authors.forename: Janne
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-4932-4079
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Blichert-Toft
authors.affiliation: Maison de l'Orient et de la Méditerranée, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR 5133, 69365 Lyon Cedex 7, France;
authors.forename: Jean-Philippe
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Goiran
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard-Lyon I, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR 5276, 69007 Lyon, France;
authors.forename: Florent
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Arnaud-Godet
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, dell'Ambiente e delle Risorse, Università di Napoli Federico II, 80138 Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Romano
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard-Lyon I, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR 5276, 69007 Lyon, France; Department of Earth Science, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005;
authors.forename: Francis
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Albarède
keywords: AD 79 Somma-Vesuvius eruption; Neapolis; Pb isotopes; harbor geoarchaeology; paleo-pollution