"Once Upon a Time, There Was a River: The Environmental History of the Tiber Valley before Rome, from the Neolithic to the Iron Age," a Flash Talk by Laura Motta given on Friday, October 1, 2021.

It is entrenched in much of the historical and archaeological literature that the success of Rome was due to its favorable location along the major river in peninsular Italy. Is this assumption true? Indeed, we know little about the natural settings of the Tiber before it was encroached upon and urbanized during the late Republic and Imperial periods, creating an “eternal” image of the landscape. Recent investigations have instead revealed important changes in the local vegetation and a very dynamic fluvial environment, possibly affected by tectonic episodes, between 5,000 and 3,000 years ago.

Kelsey Museum Flash Talks are 15-minute Zoom lectures by Kelsey curators, staff members, researchers, and graduate students talking about their recent research or current projects. Each presentation is followed by 15 minutes of Q&A. Flash Talks are free and open to all visitors. They take place at noon on the first Friday of every month.