| Although previous scholarship has suggested settlement patterns for the middle Volturno valley, these patterns do not take into account all of the evidence that is currently available. Also, the models of settlement patterns that have previously been applied to this region seem to have been based on the assumption that this region functions in the same way as areas that have city-state organization. This study takes a closer look at the sites of the middle Volturno valley, including settlements, sanctuaries, and other associated sites, in order to develop a more accurate settlement pattern for this region. It refutes the assumption that this region employed territorial boundary sanctuaries, and suggests instead that the settlement pattern here was a complex one that employed sanctuaries to serve as areas for cultural interfacing rather than as symbols of territorial demarcation. |
