Per una identità archeologica del litorale sud-est di Bari. I dati delle ricognizioni subacquee 2017-2019

As part of the project of underwater archeology and coastal landscapes along the coast of central Puglia, systematic research has been carried out on samples from the Bari littoral. The investigations, carried out both by direct observation and with surveying instruments (Side Scan Sonar, Sub‐bottom Profilers, Multy Beams Echo Sounder), concern a large portion of the east coast beginning at the shore opposite the historic centre of Bari and extending to other areas of anchorage (Cala San Giorgio and Torre a Mare). In the “city littoral” of Bari it has been possible to identify a wharf for unloading cargoes, characterized by numerous ceramic, metal and stone finds, located in the immediate vicinity of a submerged structure built with squared stone blocks. In particular, the lithic finds recorded underwater have petrological features not found in the geology of Apulia which mark them as imported pieces. They have been subjected to archaeometric analyses which have yielded data that support the hypotheses that have been formulated on their areas of origin. The nature of the port of Bari as a place for off-loading cargoes over a period of approx. 27 centuries is read in conjunction with the anchorages and secondary landings, as well as numerous other types of unpublished sites found: caves, settlements, burials, towers and stone quarries which together contribute to defining an archaelogical identity for this coast.