Human-environment interaction in the Etnean area (eastern Sicily): settlement systems and landscape between the Neolithic and Early Bronze Age

The peculiar environmental characteristics of the Etnean area certainly influenced the development of the settlement system throughout Prehistory. Archaeological field suvey data from the area testify to the evolution of the landscape between the Neolithic and the ancient Bronze Age. There are numerous burial sites known while there are few settlements; to integrate this panorama, the data of the archaeological research carried out in the Etnean area in the last decades, in particular in Ramacca, are of considerable importance. Based on the integration of data in the GIS environment, it is possible to present a profile of the evolution of the landscape during prehistoric ages.