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Journal of Roman Archaeology

The eruption of A.D. 79 has long dominated archaeological discourse on Vesuvius. Other eruptions, both earlier and later, have received less attention but are no less valuable from an archaeological point of view.1 Those eruptions deposited distinctive volcanic materials often easily identifiable in the stratigraphic record, thereby providing dated termini ante quos, which can in turn offer a snapshot of life around the volcano in different periods. The eruption of A.D. 79 provides just such an horizon for 1st-c. A.D. Campania; the earlier ‘Avellino pumices eruption’ does the same for the Bronze Age.2 By tracking the volcanic deposits that can be tied to such events, the situation on the ground prior to the eruptions can be examined, as can the ways in which communities and landscapes reacted to, and recovered from, them.

Cultural landscapes were prominent during the Early Roman period when agronomic knowledge allowed the spread of intensive land exploitation in most of the available land. The aim of this contribution is to explore whether for the Campania region (Southern Italy) archaeoenvironmental data would support continuity or change in the cultural landscape of Roman tradition in the 4th and 5th centuries. To do so, new data from two sites located on the northern slopes of the Vesuvius, both buried by the AD 472 eruption have been investigated. Charcoal analysis, 14 C dating, and chemical analysis of organic residues were carried out in order to study the landscape and the food production at these sites. The results suggest the persistence of the Roman cultural landscape until the 4th and 5th centuries in this area. The landscape is in fact strongly marked both in agriculture and woodland exploitation and management, being characterized by managed chestnut forests as well as valuable cultivations of walnut, large vineyards, olive groves, and probably orchards and crops. The integrated approach with archaeobotanical and archaeometric analyses proves to be a powerful method for the study of the past landscapes, providing a good insight into the environment. Furthermore, this study provided the most ancient evidence of chestnut silviculture for wood.

Journal of Archaeological Science, 2013

The evolution of the cultural landscape in coastal western Sardinia is investigated by means of pollen analysis in the Mistras Lagoon sediments, near the ancient city of Tharros, with particular attention to changes in evergreen vegetation and the impact of human activity. The pollen diagram, spanning the time interval from 5300 to 1600 cal BP, documents the influence of man, climate, and geomorphic dynamics on the evolution of a semi-open evergreen vegetation landscape and variations in extent of a saltmarsh environment. Anthropogenic indicators and microcharcoals concur in depicting increased land use coinciding with the Nuragic, Phoenician, Punic and Roman dominations. Pollen data, along with archaeobotanical evidence, suggest a prevailing arable farming economy, vocated to Vitis and cereals exploitation, during the Nuragic phase until 2400 cal BP, replaced since then by a prevailing stock rearing economy. Between 2050 and 1600 cal BP, a less intensive human impact on the landscape is profiled, consistently with the archaeologically documented abandonment of the rural villages in favour of a slow urbanization, experienced by the Sinis territory in Imperial times. The pollen record provides new insights into the history of important economic plants in the Mediterranean, such as Vitis, Olea and Quercus suber. The results of the pollen analysis reveal how the records of these taxa are primarily influenced by the cultural development of the Sinis region and secondarily by dynamics involving the natural companion vegetation.

Quaternary International, 2015

Detailed lithostratigraphic, geochemical, pedological, micromorphological and archaeological analyses were carried out at a stratigraphic sequence of Scafati, about 3 km east of ancient Pompeii. It comprises roughly the last 22,000 years of landscape history consisting of a multilayered succession of repeated volcanic deposition and pedogenesis. The former is caused by several phases of volcanic activity of Somma-Vesuvius, Campi Flegrei and Ischia, reflecting a large spectrum of eruption types including Plinian, sub-Plinian, Strombolian to Vulcanian and effusive volcanic events. The latter contains phases of volcanic quiescence leading to soil formations of different durations, intensities and soil-forming environments. Furthermore, the paleosols repeatedly reveal clear evidence of anthropogenic activity such as agriculture. Using this multiproxy approach, a holistic landscape evolution model was developed reconstructing the late Pleistocene and Holocene history of volcanic activity, soil formation and land use in the hinterland of Pompeii. This was correlated with the larger-scale climatic and human history of the Campania region.

Detailed lithostratigraphic, geochemical, pedological, micromorphological and archaeological analyses were carried out at a stratigraphic sequence of Scafati, about 3 km east of ancient Pompeii. It comprises roughly the last 22,000 years of landscape history consisting of a multilayered succession of repeated volcanic deposition and pedogenesis. The former is caused by several phases of volcanic activity of Somma-Vesuvius, Campi Flegrei and Ischia, reflecting a large spectrum of eruption types including Plinian, sub-Plinian, Strombolian to Vulcanian and effusive volcanic events. The latter contains phases of volcanic quiescence leading to soil formations of different durations, intensities and soil-forming environments. Furthermore, the paleosols repeatedly reveal clear evidence of anthropogenic activity such as agriculture. Using this multiproxy approach, a holistic landscape evolution model was developed reconstructing the late Pleistocene and Holocene history of volcanic activity, soil formation and land use in the hinterland of Pompeii. This was correlated with the larger-scale climatic and human history of the Campania region.

The final publication is available at http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10980-014-0093-0. Cultural landscapes are priority research themes addressed in many fields of knowledge. Botanists can explore the ecological, formal and cognitive level of cultural landscapes with different approaches. Palynologists study both palaeoenviron- mental (off-site) and archaeological (on-site) records and are, therefore, in a privileged corner to observe the origin and history of present landscapes, what is their true nature and vocation, what must be preserved or transformed for the future. The study of an archaeo- logical site shows short space–time events and the behaviour of a few people. In order, though, to attain a regional and cross-area cultural landscape reconstruc- tion, many sites must be studied as part of a regional multi-point site and with an interdisciplinary approach. The likelihood to observe human-induced environ- ments in pollen diagrams depends on the nature and productivity of human-related plant species. In the Mediterranean area, many Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic sites point to the long-term action on the environment. However, the pollen signal of pre- Holocene and early Holocene human impact is ambiguous or weak. The effects of culture became evident, and possibly irreversible, as a consequence of human permanence in a certain land. In the Bronze age, A. M. Mercuri (&) Department of Life Sciences, Laboratory of Palynology and Palaeobotany, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Viale Caduti in Guerra 127, 41121 Modena, Italy e-mail: [email protected] the establishment of human-induced environments was evident from the combination of decrease of forest cover and increase of cereal and synanthropic pollen types in pollen records.

Late Antique Archaeology, 2015

Fossil pollen records from 70 sites with reliable chronologies and high-resolution data in the western Mediterranean, were synthesised to document Late Holocene vegetation and climate change. The key elements of vegetation dynamics and landscape construction during Late Antiquity are clear in the light of the fossil pollen records. These are: fire events (natural or anthropogenically induced); grazing activities in high-mountain areas; agriculture; arboriculture; and human settlement in the lowlands. In terms of anthropogenic pressure, the differences recorded between highlands and lowlands suggest an imbalance in land use. Such practices were related to three main types of activities: wood exploitation and management, cultivation, and pastoralism. In lowland areas there seems to be some synchronism in vegetation dynamics during the late antique period, since most of the territories of the western Mediterranean had been deforested by the Early Roman period. However, in mountainous r...

People/environment relationship from the Mesolithic to the Middle Ages: recent Geoarchaeological findings in Southern Italy, International Congress, Salerno 4-7 september 2007, Mediterranee 112,, 2009

AIASSUNTO -Evotuzione della veqetezione e impeito entropico durante I'Olocene nelle Alpi Centrali. La successione paleobotanica del/a torbiera di Pian Venezia (Trento, Italia) -II Quaternario Italian Journal of QuaternarySciences, 9(2), 1996, 737-744 -In questa artico-10 vengono presentati i risultati preliminari delle anallsl palsobotanlche condotte sulla torbiera di Pian Venezia (2270 m s.l.rn., Val di Peio,Alpi italiane orlentall), Lo soopo della ricerca e la ricostruzione dell'evoluzione olocenlca della vegetazione in un arnbiente ad elevate altltudlne, presso i1limite del bosco, Sulla successione di torba sono state ottenute 6 date 14C. La sedimentazione orqanica e lnlzlata in una fase avanzata del Preboreale ed econtinuata fino al presente. La successione polllnlca di Pian Venezia ha registrato numerosi eventi vegetazionali chs hanno caratterizzato la storia della vegetazione nell'Olocene. Nel tarde Preboreale una prateria alplna con arbusti (Salix e Alnus) e presente nelle vicinanze della torbiera, mentre psrslstono aree con vegetazione discontinua picnlera, come indicata dalla presenza di granuli di Androsace ed Oxyria. Picea compare con curva continua circa 8.900 anni BP e sublsee un brusco aumento circa 8.700 anni BP, allorche I'abete rosso raggiunge I'alta Val di Peio. Durante l'Atlantico medio e superlors, la presenza nella torba di aghi e stomi di cambro e di larice nonche di semi di cembro indicano che iI bosco circondava la torblera, Fagus e di Abies cornpalono rispettivamente circa 6.500 e 6.000-5.500 anni BP. Due lmportantl fasi di impatto antropico sono evidentl: ta prima (4.000 -3.000 annl BP) pub essere attribuita al tardo Neolitico, la seconda (che inizia circa 2.200 anni BP) al perlodo romano. Nei livelli datati a quest'ultirna fase compaiono spore di Podospore e Sporormielte, funghi coprofili, il che suggerisce I'estenslone del pascolo nel Pian Venezia.