Giovanni Mastronuzzi, Giacomo Vizzino, Paesaggi sacri nella Puglia meridionale preromana: esempi di applicazioni gis ai casi-studio di Oria e Vaste

This paper examines the network of sanctuaries and holy places in the Salento peninsula during the period from the Iron Age to the Hellenistic Age. The application of gis technology, particularly viewshed analysis and least cost path, highlights the importance of sacred spaces as an element for the organization of settlements and their territories. Additionally, the results of recent stratigraphic excavations conducted in Vaste are illustrated: a structure functioning as a cultic precinct has been identified in the area of the early Christian martyrium ( second half of the 4th century AD); it dates back to the late 6th century BC.