63 research outputs found
La Collezione Guidi nel Museo Archeologico di Grosseto. La necropoli di Colle Baroncio e la prima età del Ferro a Vetulonia
No full textFra il 1886 e il 1913 il Comune di Grosseto acquisì per il Museo Civico gli oggetti archeologici che i fratelli Antonio e Angelo Guidi di Vetulonia stavano scavando in una loro proprietà a O della città antica: Colle Baroncio.
La collezione è rimasta a lungo inedita e solo oggi, grazie allo studio accurato di Lionello F. Morandi, può essere pubblicata integralmente. Si tratta senza dubbio di un nuovo importante contributo su Vetulonia, sempre troppo poco nota
Ceramic traditions and technological choices revealed by early Iron Age vessels: the case of Vetulonia (southern Tuscany)
No full textEarly Iron Age pottery from central Italian regions has so far largely been studied with a particular emphasis on typological and stylistical features. However, an analytical approach to ancient ceramic technology can reveal a wealth of data on the know-how of early Iron Age central Italian craftspeople and their production choices. With this aim we conducted archaeometric analyses of forty vessels from one of the main protohistoric cemeteries of Vetulonia, coupled with geological surveys of the territory around the settlement and the collection of raw materials. The occurrence of a ceramic fabric marked by fragments of metasedimentary rocks, as opposed to a fabric tempered with flint fragments, indicates the existence of separate traditions, characterised by distinct processes and the addition of specific tempers, probably reflecting different technological practices. The significance of our findings is briefly discussed within the historical and social scenario of early Iron Age Vetulonia, at the dawn of urbanisation
Supplementary_material – Supplemental material for New evidence on the earliest human presence in the urban area of Genoa (Liguria, Italy): A multi-proxy study of a mid-Holocene deposit at the mouth of the Bisagno river
No full textSupplemental material, Supplementary_material for New evidence on the earliest human presence in the urban area of Genoa (Liguria, Italy): A multi-proxy study of a mid-Holocene deposit at the mouth of the Bisagno river by Daniele Arobba, Rosanna Caramiello, Marco Firpo, Luca Mercalli, Lionello F Morandi and Stefano Rossi in The Holocene</p
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Evidence for birch bark tar use as an adhesive and decorative element in Early Iron Age central Italy: technological and socio-economic implications
No full textArchaeological excavations carried out in Early Iron Age Vetulonia (northern Tuscany, Italy) brought to light a funerary urn particularly noteworthy for the presence of an unusual decoration obtained by plastering the vase surface with an organic dark grey substance, on which metal strips were originally fixed. In order to reveal the origin of such coating, it was chemically studied by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Chemical analysis not only revealed that birch bark tar was used as coating/adhesive material for the manufacture of the urn, but also allowed us to discuss the significance of the vessel in terms of eco‐technological knowledge and possible cultural connections on a large geographical scale
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New evidence on the earliest human presence in the urban area of Genoa (Liguria, Italy): a multi-proxy study of a mid-Holocene deposit at the mouth of the Bisagno river
No full textThe article presents the results of a multi-proxy study investigating an alluvial deposit located in the coastal plain of Genoa (Liguria, Northwest Italy). A very deep core was sampled from 15 to 25 m below ground level to analyse sedimentological properties, pollen assemblages, non-pollen palynomorphs, plant macrofossils and micro-charcoal. The deposit, spanning from the second half of the 5th Millennium to the end of the 7th Millennium cal. BC, was characterized by an alternation of silty and peaty layers, and proved to be rich in plant remains. Pollen data allowed the confirmation of a gradual increase in Fagus sylvatica to the detriment of Abies alba during the mid-Holocene of the region, and showed the presence of brackish lagoons, as well as the progressively stronger incidence of anthropogenic taxa, indicating the use of the plain for agricultural purposes. The study of non-pollen palynomorphs led to the taxonomic identification of some previously unidentified types, and pointed to the occurrence of marshy environments, which were probably grazed on by domestic herbivores. Macrofossil analysis provided the first record of Triticum new glume wheat type in Liguria. Moreover, the finding of a grain of Triticum dicoccum dated to the second half of the 6th Millennium cal. BC allowed us to pre-date by seven centuries the agriculture in the region. To date, this represents the oldest evidence of human activity in the urban area of Genoa
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Integrated microscopy approaches in archaeobotany: proceedings of the 2016 and 2017 workshops, University of Reading, UK
No full textArchaeobotany is the study of archaeological plant remains, which include macroremains, such as seeds and wood charcoal, and a range of associated microfossils, such as phytoliths, pollen, spores and starch grains. These papers showcase a range of microscopy approaches that can be applied to examine and interpret botanical and organic assemblages in the archaeological record, and to address a range of topical research themes and current debates in archaeology, such as environmental management, human responses to environmental change and sustainable life-ways spanning a broad geographical and chronological time periods. Soil micromorphology is a technique that enables the formation and post-depositional processes of archaeological deposits to be understood by reconstructing sediment histories. It allows archaeobotanical remains to be examined within their depositional context to provide a micro-contextual interpretation of the evidence, and to understand different types of archaeobotanical remains in a range of preservation conditions. As with many other proxies, formation processes and taphonomy are key issues in the study of any type of plant remains, and this is reflected in several contributions of this volume.Funding, administrative and technical support has been provided by the School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science for the successful development of the IMAA workshops, and we thank the Association for Environmental Archaeology, Beta Analytic and Quaternary Scientific (QUEST) for their sponsorship. The 2017 workshop also received funding from the University of Reading's Endowment Fund. Rowena Banerjea's research was carried out within the framework of The Ecology of Crusading project, which received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/ 2007–2013) under grant agreement No. 263735. Catherine Barnett's research was funded by the Calleva Foundation as part of the wider Silchester Environs project. The work of Marta Portillo was carried out within the framework of the EU Horizon 2020 MICROARCHEODUNG project. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No. H2020-MSCA-IF-2015-702529.Peer reviewe
Pollen analysis of neolithic adhesives and comparative experimental archaeology: insights from La Marmotta (Lake Bracciano, Rome)
No full textThis article presents a palynological study conducted on adhesive materials obtained from both experimental and archaeological wooden sickles. The archaeological sickles, dating back to the Early Neolithic period, were recovered from the waterlogged site of La Marmotta, located near Lake Bracciano in Rome, Italy. Experimental harvesting was carried out on cereal crops using sickles purposefully made with a modern resinous material that closely replicates the original composition. This approach allowed us to retrieve palynological information consistent with and comparable to that observed on ancient tools. The study's results highlighted the excellent adhesiveness of these materials, capable of trapping and preserving micro-remains collected during harvesting practices. The discovery of Hordeum-type and Avena-Triticum-type pollen grains confirmed the predominant use of these agricultural tools for cereal harvesting. Notably, one particular neolithic sickle, whose resin primarily retained Oenanthe-type pollen, stands out for its exclusive use in cutting herbaceous plants of potential medicinal interest. In parallel, the analysis of pollen content retained in modern cereal spikes confirmed their potential to provide information about the type of crop and, to some extent, the floristic component of the surrounding environment.This research is part of the following research projects: ‘AGER. Crescita agricola nell'Europa preistorica. Un approccio al cambio tecnologico, economico e sociale’ project (PGR18BQHM7) funded by the Italian Ministry for Education, Universities and Research within the ‘Rita Levi Montalcini’ program (PI N. Mazzucco); the project ‘Pratiche artigiane tra Mediterraneo ed Oriente. Studi interdisciplinari dalla Preistoria al Medioevo’ funded by University of Pisa within PRA2022 program.Peer reviewe
Sequential analyses of bovid tooth enamel and dentine collagen (δ18O, δ13C, δ15N): new insights into animal husbandry between the Late Neolithic and the Early Bronze Age at Tana del Barletta (Ligurian Prealps)
No full textTana del Barletta is an upland cave used from the Late Neolithic to the Middle Bronze Age, located in the vicinity of the coast in Liguria (NW Italy). The excavation revealed the presence of a faunal assemblage dominated by caprine and cattle remains. In order to gain new data on late prehistoric farming strategies (e.g. seasonal mobility, coastal grazing, animal diet), intra-tooth series of stable oxygen and carbon isotopes have been obtained from cattle and sheep/goat tooth enamel, along with intra-tooth series of nitrogen and carbon isotopes from cattle dentine collagen. Due to the prevalence of maxillary teeth, a modern calf has also been analysed to assess intra-individual isotopic differences between the maxillary and mandibular dentition. Modern data on oxygen isotope values of meteoric water from different altitudes around the area of the site were used as a reference for interpretation. The results indicate that the water ingested by the herd was mostly characterised by particularly low δ18O values, highlighting the importance of the uplands for the late prehistoric farmers of the region. However, the input of water sourced from lower elevations, especially during the winter months, cannot be dismissed. In addition, the nitrogen isotopic composition of cattle collagen rules out the ingestion of salt-tolerant vegetation or seaweed, suggesting that grazing did not occur directly on the coastal plain
Holocene Evolution of Minor Mountain Lacustrine Basins in the Northern Apennines, Italy: The Lake Moo Case Study
No full textSedimentary systems developed in small (<1 km2) mountain lacustrine basins represent high-resolution geological archives, able to record subtle climatic and tectonic signatures over historical times. The studied example from the Mt. Ragola ophiolitic massif in the Northern Apennines (Italy) allowed us to better understand the role of the different (neo)tectonic and climatic events on the development and distribution of large landslides and lakes/peat bogs during the last 10 kyrs. Implementing a multidisciplinary approach that includes detailed acquisition of bedrock, geomorphological, topographic, and geophysical data, we detected and mapped ridge splitting, trenches, closed depressions, double ridges, and counterscarps. These morphostructures are interpreted as relevant factors influencing the distribution of sediments in historical times by shifting the position of the local equilibrium point (i.e., erosion vs. deposition) and have been correlated to a combination of climatic (i.e., increased flood events) and tectonic (i.e., spatial– temporal clustering of seismic shocks) forcing, starting from the demise of the Little Ice Age in the mid-19th century to the present-day situation. This approach allowed us to better describe the current changes in the hydrologic cycle, reaching beyond the limits of historical instrumental data. Furthermore, allowing the recognition and dating of recent tectonic vs. gravitational deformations, it also constitutes an integrative method for assessing the local geological hazard
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