Assunta Florenzano

The European Modern Pollen Database (EMPD) project

Modern pollen samples provide an invaluable research tool for helping to interpret the quaternary fossil pollen record, allowing investigation of the relationship between pollen as the proxy and the environmental parameters such as vegetation, land-use, and climate that the pollen proxy represents. The European Modern Pollen Database (EMPD) is a new initiative within the European Pollen Database (EPD) to establish a publicly accessible repository of modern (surface sample) pollen data. This new database will complement the EPD, which at present holds only fossil sedimentary pollen data. The EMPD is freely available online to the scientific community and currently has information on almost 5,000 pollen samples from throughout the Euro-Siberian and Mediterranean regions, contributed by over 40 individuals and research groups. Here we describe how the EMPD was constructed, the various tables and their fields, problems and errors, quality controls, and continuing efforts to improve the available data.

Pollen from archaeological layers and cultural landscape reconstruction: Case studies from the Bradano valley (Basilicata, southern Italy)

Abstract The article aims at presenting some aspects of environmental reconstruction through pollen analysis from archaeological contexts. The anthropogenic pollen transport into archaeological sites is regarded as an interesting tool to improve knowledge on flora and vegetation in the area of influence of sites. The zoophilous plants can be found more easily than in the regional airborne pollen rain where anemophilous pollen is generally overrepresented. Moreover, pollen from archaeological contexts is mainly a result of the cultural landscape shaped by human activities. Two case studies from the Bradano Valley (Basilicata, southern Italy), rich in archaeological sites dating altogether from the Middle Bronze Age to the Medieval age, are reported. Difesa San Biagio and its surroundings is one of the biggest settlements of the area, settled in early times by Enotrians. Altojanni is an extended area mainly frequented in Hellenistic, Roman late Imperial and Medieval times. A very open landscape, and clear signs of plant exploitation and cultivation, breeding and settlements were present in the two sites. Though samples are disturbed and preservation problems are sometimes observed, the main characters of pollen spectra are recurrent. High percentages of Poaceae and Cichorioideae, together with coprophilous fungal spores, strongly suggest a long tradition of pastoral activities. These case study examples suggest that human activities would have produced a fairly xeric environment.

Are Cichorieae an indicator of open habitats and pastoralism in current and past vegetation studies

Cichorieae, one of the six tribes of the sub-family Cichorioideae (Asteraceae), produces a well-recognisable fenestrate pollen type. In the Mediterranean area, the significance of high percentages of Cichorieae pollen from archaeological layers is still questioned. We assessed the presence of Cichorieae as indicators of open habitats and pasturelands in current plant communities by comparing data on vegetation composition with pollen spectra from two Hellenistic sites of Basilicata (southern Italy): Difesa San Biagio in the low valley of the river Bradano and Torre di Satriano in the Lucanian Apennines. We also analysed the pollen morphology bringing to the discrimination of size classes within the fenestrate type of Cichorieae. Pollen spectra from the considered archaeological sites have low forest cover (7% on average); Asteraceae and Poaceae are prevalent; Cichorieae account to ca. 23%; coprophilous fungal spores are varied and present high concentrations. In surface soil samples collected near the sites, Cichorieae pollen is about 12%. In current vegetation types, an increasing abundance of Cichorieae was observed from salt marshes, forests and shrublands to open habitats and grasslands. This is coherent with the actual land cover around the study sites and the findings of the archaeological sample that point to an open landscape dominated by pastures and cultivated fields. Our integrated approach confirmed that today Cichorieae are common in secondary pastures and in some types of primary open habitats of southern Italy: hence, high percentages of this pollen can be considered a good indicator of these habitats even in past environment reconstructions.

Morphology and discrimination features of pollen from Italian olive cultivars (Olea europaea L.)

Abstract Pollen morphology of 14 cultivars of Olea europaea subsp. europaea var. europaea was analysed in order to discriminate main pollen types. The cultivars were selected from the most spread and early flowering crops grown in Italy. Morphometric parameters were observed on acetolysed pollen by means of light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Polar axis (P), equatorial diameter (E), P/E ratio, maximum distance between colpi in mesocolpium, distance between the apices of two colpi, exine thickness, maximum length of lumina in mesocolpium and in apocolpium, and exine reticulum thickness in mesocolpium have been measured. According to P and E, the 14 olive cultivars of this study can be divided into the three groups of small (P: 21.75 µm, E: 22.55 µm; ‘Manna’ and ‘Tonda di Cagliari’), large (P: 25.1 µm, E: 26.1 µm; ‘Pescarese’ and ‘Rotondella di Sanza’) and medium size (P: 23.49 µm, E: 24.54 µm, ‘Carolea’, ‘Grossa di Cassano’, ‘Giarraffa’, ‘Nocellara messinese’, ‘Nocellara del Belice’, ‘Santagatese’, ‘Intosso’, ‘Maiatica di Ferrandina’, ‘Nostrale di Fiano Romano’, ‘Santa Caterina’). Maximum length of lumina and exine thickness are useful parameters for further distinction of olive pollen groups, since these parameters are able to provide a specific pollen profile for each cultivar.

Plants, water and humans: pollen analysis from Holocene archaeological sites on Sai Island, northern Sudan

abstract The paper reports on a synthesis of pollen analyses and main archaeobotanical studies carried out on Early, Middle and Late Holocene sites from Sai Island in the Nile River (ancient Upper Nubia, present northern Sudan). Multidisciplinary archaeological studies focused on the transitions from hunting-fishinggathering to pastoralism and later to agro-pastoralism in this area. New palynological data were obtained from two sites located on the eastern side of the island: an Early Holocene occupational level of a ‘Khartoum Variant’ foraging site (8-B-10C, Level 2; c. 7600–7200 BC), and a Middle/Late Holocene site dating to the Pre-Kerma/Kerma period (8-B-10A; the later phase is dated c. 1800–1600 BC). These data integrate the results obtained from two other sites located on the western side of the island (sites 8-B-76 and 8-B-81). Despite the poor preservation of pollen, the integration of data from the studied sites provides information on the environmental changes and potential for plant exploitation in the eastern Sahelian-Saharan region. A substantial environmental diversity between the west and east sides of Sai Island emerges, revealing that in the late Early Holocene and first part of the Middle Holocene the land near the river was characterised by a mosaic of habitats, with dramatic floods on the eastern side and seasonal dried-up areas on the western side. This region supplied water even during the dry climatic phases and provided humans with mosaic habitats within short distances, giving access to plants (useful for food and other purposes) which lived in swamps and marshes, wooded savannahs, grasslands or desert savannahs.

Regional Vegetation Histories: An Overview of the Pollen Evidence from the Central Mediterranean

Vegetation patterns during the 1st millennium AD in the central Mediterranean, exhibit a great variability, due to the richness of these habitats and the continuous shaping of the environment by human societies. Variations in land use, witnessed in the pollen record, reflect the role that local vegetation and environmental conditions played in the choices made by local societies. The interdisciplinary study of off-site cores remains the key evidence for palaeoenvironmental transformations mirroring the ‘semi-natural’ vegetation, and revealing temporal fluctuations and the amount of human impact on a regional scale.

Erratum to: The European Modern Pollen Database (EMPD) project

Unfortunately, the list of authors contains a number of duplications, omissions and other errors in the original publication of the article. The correct list appears in this erratum.

Multiscalar Perspectives on Holocene Climatic and Environmental Changes in the Sahara and Nile Corridor, with Special Consideration of Archaeological Sites on Sai Island, Sudan

This multiscalar study explores Holocene environmental changes across the Sahara, within the eastern Sahara, and along the Nile in northern Sudan. The Early Holocene saw increased moisture across most parts of northern Africa after c. 10,000 BC, with peak humid conditions 7800–7000 BC. A short but significant dry interval after c. 7000 BC was followed by wetter conditions around 6000 BC, and then a gradual aridification from 5000 BC. The latter dry phase has continued until present times. The exceptional environments near the Nile are known to have seen impressive variations as climate oscillations and flora left traces in the palaeobotanical record. Multidisciplinary archaeological studies in this area—including analysis of plant macroremains—have focused on the transitions from hunting-fishing-gathering (Khartoum Variant) to pastoralism (Abkan) and later to agro-pastoralism (Pre-Kerma). The palynological data from four Sai Island sites (8-B-10C, 8-B-76, 8-B-81, and 8-B-10A) and the nearby mainland site of Amara West (2-R-66) provide new perspectives on local environmental shifts during this time of profound economic and social change. Despite poor pollen preservation, the high number of samples enables comparisons that show both diachronic changes and synchronic variation. Since the earliest phases, pollen spectra reflect mixed flora from various habitats and some seasonal variability. During the Early Holocene and the initial part of the Middle Holocene, dramatic floods on Sai’s east side and seasonal desiccation on Sai’s west side together created an ecological mosaic that exposed people to several different habitat types within a short distance. These included swamps and marshes, wooded savannas, grasslands and desert savanna, providing access to plants used for food, medicine, and other purposes. Documenting localized patterns of vegetation variation and change can lay important groundwork for explaining changes in subsistence and social organization.

Archaeobotany and the Terramara Archaeological Park of Montale (Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy): Experiences of Public Education

The Terramara Archaeological Park of Montale is an open-air museum dedicated to the enhancement of the Bronze Age terramare culture of Northern Italy. Investigation of its rich archaeological record, particularly from the archaeobotanical point of view (seeds/fruits, pieces of wood and charcoal, pollen and charcoal particles), has made it possible to reconstruct the landscape’s evolution and human-plantanimal relationships. This paper aims to present a comprehensive and exhaustive overview of the relationship between archaeology and archaeobotany in order to improve the content and exposition of the Terramara Archaeological Park of Montale, thanks to the fruitful cooperation between the Laboratory of Palynology and Archaeobotany of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia and Civic Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology of Modena. IANSA 2017 ● VIII/2 ● 175–186 Giovanna Bosi, Giovanna Barbieri, Assunta Florenzano, Elisa Fraulini, Maria Chiara Montecchi, Alessia Pelillo, Elena Righi, Rossella Rinaldi, Cristiana Zanasi: Archaeobotany and the Terramara Archaeological Park of Montale (Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy): Experiences of Public Education 176 development and the economic improvement of the territory. Consequently, for an efficient archaeological or historical site recovery it is essential to plan a well-defined project that shall take into account its own specific features. First of all, in a revaluation project, symbolic or cultural characteristics of the site should be assessed. Archaeological or scientific features have also to be considered, according to their important contribution in terms of knowledge and awareness. Finally, careful consideration should be given to the teaching possibilities, as these represent the strongest link between the archaeological remains and the visitors (Panosa 2012). AOAMs play a unique role in this field. Developed first in Germany and Scandinavia, while yet being relatively recent in Italy, they offer an exciting interface between scientific research and education, bridging the gap between academia and the public. By reconstructing the environments and activities of the past in a striking and evocative way, they manage to convey to a wider audience the results of excavation and research. For many of the AOAMs, a key factor has doubtless been their relationship with experimental archaeology, this developing scientific discipline having found fertile ground for testing its procedure and methods according to scientific analysis in this kind of museum, increasing the relationship between research and divulgation (Zanasi 2014a; Zanasi 2015). In addition, there is a growing demand by the public and by schools for a form of archaeology-tourism that is increasingly taking the form of edutainment. Here the learning-by-doing philosophy evinces the visitors’ emotional involvement: they are transported backwards in time, where they are immersed in the atmosphere of bygone ages. Not infrequently, this process is facilitated by the presence of qualified staff dressed in period costume and skilled in historical re-enactment (Zanasi 2014a; Zanasi 2015). Through a hands-on experiential approach, archaeological parks are one of the best tools for humanities and science education in the cultural and environmental heritage field. According to Dyer (2007), “There are curricula across all sectors which now contain more elements of cultural heritage, ecology and sustainability – particularly in science, geography, citizenship and religious education – but somehow the holistic energy that turns facts into feelings, professional development into corporate responsibility and understanding into personal action is not there in sufficient strength. (...) Bringing concrete understanding to abstract scientific concepts through memorable experiences in an inspiring environment is a very powerful educative tool which too few programmes achieve”. 2. The Terramara Archaeological Park of Montale The Archaeological Park and Open-Air Museum of the Terramara of Montale, located 11 km from the city centre of Modena (Figure 1a), was set up in 2004 by the Civic Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology of Modena. The Terramara Archaeological Park of Montale is dedicated to the enhancement of the terramare communities and their characteristic villages in the Po plain area (2nd millennium BC, Northern Italy) that represent one of the most important and meaningful cultural entities of European prehistory (Bernabò Brea et al. 1997). The realization of the Park was the achievement of a long period of scientific research, which had already begun earlier and is still ongoing. At the base of the enduring success of the Park there is this peculiar, constant and osmotic relationship Figure 1. a) Location of the Terramara Park of Montale. b) Plan of the site and the openair museum of the Terramara Archaeological Park of Montale. IANSA 2017 ● VIII/2 ● 175–186 Giovanna Bosi, Giovanna Barbieri, Assunta Florenzano, Elisa Fraulini, Maria Chiara Montecchi, Alessia Pelillo, Elena Righi, Rossella Rinaldi, Cristiana Zanasi: Archaeobotany and the Terramara Archaeological Park of Montale (Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy): Experiences of Public Education 177 between research and divulgation, through which the visitors get involved and become aware about scientific issues that are otherwise only for specialists. The scientific basis for the Park’s realization was supplied by 19th century archaeological excavation at Montale and, above all, by the data obtained from the excavations carried out between 1996 and 2001 that led to the discovery of the stratigraphic sequence and structural aspects. The ancient dwellings, which are only partly preserved, occupy the Park’s southern sector where the excavation area has been protected with a structure that is today a museum space with plaster casts of the terramara stratigraphy and layers. Next to the archaeological area, in the Park’s northern sector, the open-air museum has been set-up. Here a full-scale sector of the terramara village has been reconstructed based on the supply of data from the excavations (Cardarelli et al. 2015a) (Figure 1b). The rich archaeological record has provided much information about the daily life of people living in the site area (Cardarelli 2009). By the beginning of the 20th century, natural sciences were becoming increasingly important in the comprehension of archaeological sites (Wilkinson, Stevens 2008). In fact, for several sites the study of botanical remains was crucial to obtaining information about human life in the past (Day 2013), as was the case of the Montale terramara (Accorsi et al. 2009; Mercuri et al. 2006a; 2006b; 2012). The amount and quality of archaeobotanical analyses carried out in this site allowed useful information to be obtained for the achievement of different proposals for the activities involving kids and adults. These activities are intended to explain and help understand the human-plantanimal relationships in the terramare communities (Bosi et al. 2013a; Bosi et al. 2013b) . This is real added value, especially considering that there are no written records from protohistory: information is available only through the different types of materials recovered from archaeological excavations and their analysis. A fruitful cooperation between the Laboratory of Palynology and Archaeobotany of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia and Civic Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology of Modena has commenced since the planning phase of the Park, and still continues. Hopefully, this successful cooperation can serve as an example for other national and international archaeological open-air museums and parks. 3. A visit to the Park The Terramara Archaeological Park of Montale offers to visitors the opportunity to experience the reconstruction of a section of the terramara, the Bronze Age villages surrounded by trenches and embankments that largely occupied the central Po Valley between the 17th and mid-12th centuries BC. Built entirely of wood, clay and plant fibres, these ancient settlements left such faint traces that only the trained eye of an archaeologist could detect and interpret them. The reconstruction in Montale is based on a solid scientific premise: the existence at the same site of a partially conserved terramara, where excavations conducted by the Archaeological Museum of Modena have uncovered the remains of the village’s fortification and dwellings, as well as plentiful artefacts. The open-air museum’s reconstructions now sit alongside the site of the original settlement, offering to the visitors a unique experience in which some level of comprehension of the excavation is facilitated by the evidence of the reconstructions. Some educational programmes are especially conceived for school groups, where the evocative side of the reconstruction is combined with the scientific aspects of the archaeological excavations. In fact, the visit retraces the steps of the archaeologists’ work: young students are engaged in tracing back the history of the ancient settlement starting from the archaeological records, thus becoming aware of the methods implied in the archaeological fieldwork, from excavation to analysis and interpretation. The visit starts in the area originally occupied by the Bronze Age settlement (Pulini, Zanasi 2009) (Figure 1b): 1. The excavation area is contained within a covered shelter. The vertical section of the dig is displayed on the back wall, where layers corresponding to the various phases of village life between 1600 and 1250 B.C. are highlighted. The traces of two large dwellings, dating back to the most ancient phases of the settlement, can be observed on the surface. Explanatory panels illustrate the excavation and the types of materials recovered and provide information about the environment and the productive activities of the terramare. After the presentation of the excavation’s site, schoolchildren are engaged in an

The Representativeness of Olea Pollen from Olive Groves and the Late Holocene Landscape Reconstruction in Central Mediterranean

Modern pollen spectra are an invaluable reference tool for paleoenvironmental and cultural landscape reconstructions, but the importance of knowing the pollen rain released from orchards remains underexplored. In particular, the role of cultivated trees is in past and current agrarian landscapes has not been fully investigated. Here, we present a pollen analysis of 70 surface soil samples taken from 12 olive groves in Basilicata and Tuscany, two regions of Italy that exemplify this cultivation in the Mediterranean basin. This study was carried out to assess the representativeness of Olea pollen in modern cultivations. Although many variables can influence the amount of pollen observed in soils, it was clear that most of the pollen was deposited below the trees in the olive groves. A rapid decline in the olive pollen percentages (c. 85% on average) was found when comparing samples taken from IN vs. OUT of each grove. The mean percentages of Olea pollen obtained from the archaeological sites close to the studied orchards suggest that olive groves were established far from the Roman farmhouses of Tuscany. Further south, in the core of the Mediterranean basin, the cultivation of Olea trees was likely situated approximately 500–1000 m from the rural sites in Basilicata, and dated from the Hellenistic to the Medieval period.