Col de la Traversette
| Col de la Traversette | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Pass summit (2007) |
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| Compass direction | west | east | |
| Pass height | 2947 m | ||
| region | Department Hautes-Alpes | Province of Cuneo | |
| Watershed | Le Guil | Po | |
| Valley locations | L'Echalp | Crissolo | |
| expansion | Alpine route (alpine transition) | ||
| Mountains | Cottian Alps | ||
| Map (Piedmont) | |||
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| Coordinates | 44 ° 42 '38 " N , 7 ° 3' 59" E | ||
The Col de la Traversette (Italian Colle delle Traversette ) is a pass in the Cottian Alps on the way from Crissolo to Abriès , between the Val Pellice and the Valle Po . It is 2947 m above sea level, on the border between France and Italy , and separates Monviso ( 3841 m ) to the south from Monte Granero ( 3171 m ).
The pass is the highest point of the Giro del Monviso and lies on the Blue Path of the Via Alpina . It can be reached in around three hours from the Italian Pian del Re ( 2020 m ) and around two hours from the French Refuge du Viso ( 2460 m ).
The 70 meter long Tunnel de la Traversette ( Italian: Buco di Viso ) was built between 1478 and 1480 and cuts under the ridge.
The pass as a possible place to cross the Alps in Hannibal
see also: Hannibal's crossing of the Alps
A scientific research team, including archaeologist William Mahaney, reported in 2016 that they found sediments at Col de la Traversette that were created by "the constant movement of thousands of animals and people" and that could be dated to the time of Hannibal's invasion. This report supports Gavin de Beer's thesis that Hannibal and his army used the Col de la Traversette to cross the Alps.
But overall, the archaeological finds did not seem compelling enough to be able to make a reliable judgment. The evidence continued to speak for the Col de Clapier .
In 2017, an interdisciplinary research team, including Mahaney, geomorphologist Randy Dirszowsky, geologist Peter Somelar and microbiologist Christopher Allen, carried out excavations on site. Mahaney supports the thesis that the Carthaginian army passed here. Mahaney said his team found bacteria in the soil on the French side that were known to have come from mammals, horses and, in two cases, elephants. It remains to be seen whether his research results will be recognized by experts as relevant evidence.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ WC Mahaney, CCR Allen, P. Pentlavalli, A. Kulakova, JM Young: Biostratigraphic Evidence Relating to the Age-Old Question of Hannibal's Invasion of Italy, In: History and Geological Reconstruction . In: Wiley Online Library Archaeometry . ( wiley.com [accessed May 1, 2016]).
- ↑ Gunter Willinger: Antiquity - Did Hannibal's path paved horse droppings? Genetic analyzes on a tapeworm egg and bacteria should clarify whether manure found in the Alps, more than 2000 years old, can come from the horses of the Carthaginian general. In: www.spektrum.de. Spectrum, April 8, 2016, accessed May 1, 2016 .
- ^ Philip Ball: The truth about Hannibal's route across the Alps. In: The Guardian . April 3, 2016, accessed May 23, 2016 .
- ^ FW Walbank: Some Reflections on Hannibal's Pass . In: The Journal of Roman Studies . tape 46 , no. 1-2 , November 1956, pp. 37-45 , doi : 10.2307 / 297963 .
- ^ Mary Harrsch: Hannibal's Route over the Alps or just Horse S ***? . In: Roman Times - An Online Magazine about Current Archeological and Classical Research . August. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
- ^ Sulle tracce di Annibale in valle Po. In: La Stampa , July 7, 2017. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
- ^ Antonella Petris: Archeologia: ricercatori sulle tracce di Annibale. In: meteoweb.eu , July 10, 2017. Accessed July 12, 2017.
- ↑ "Sul Monviso le tracce degli elefanti di Annibale". Uno studioso canadese: ecco le prove negli scavi. In: La Stampa , July 19, 2017. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
- ↑ Annibale e gli elefanti attraversarono il Monviso, adesso ci sono le prove. In: La Stampa , July 21, 2017.