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Modern Description: Timpa della Bufaleria is a site located on a high hill about 1.5 kilometres north of Serra Maggiore. It is a small site ‐ less than .1 hectares ‐ and its wall line is still evident today traced from the large collapse of material from the original wall circuit. Timpa della Bufaleria is only intervisible with one other site ‐ Serra Maggiore ‐ with which it seems to be closely connected with both geographically and visually. Given its large viewshed, which primarily focus on the fluvial river valleys that provide access to Serra Maggiore, it seems to have operated in some sort of ‘lookout’ function for Serra Maggiore. Moreover, it has sweeping views of the Ionian coast and could provide information on approaching shipping as well as surveillance of Heraclea itself. Timpa della Bufaleria however is not connected (visually) with nearby Monte Coppolo. In fact, its attention seems to be far more focused on the south and east rather than to the north where Monte Coppolo lies. Timpa della Bufaleria would have no way of directly communicating (visually) with Monte Coppolo and even nearby Serra Maggiore has a weak visual connection with Monte Coppolo. This is not to say that communication on foot could not have been employed – Monte Coppolo is only a little over 3 kilometres away (but over some difficult and mountainous terrain it must be said) ‐ however Timpa della Bufaleria visual focus is elsewhere.

Info: Myers Lucania

Brett Andrew Myers, Visual Connectivity and Control in Ancient Lucania, MPhil thesis 2018, Univ. of Sydney

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