The paper presents the results of the archaeobotanical investigation carried out at the site of Frattesina, dated to the Final Bronze Age. A thorough sampling program was undertaken during the seasons 1976, 1977, 1979 and 1980 with the collecting of 146 samples, for a total of 1095 litres of soil water-sieved, that yielded a total of 6194 charred and mineralized plant remains. Most of the retrieved plant material were grains and chaff remains of cereals, among which the barley grains were the most common finds. Less numerous were the remains of glume wheats (grains of einkorn, Triticum monococcum; grains and few spikelet forks of emmer, Triticum dicoccum) and those of free threshing wheat (grains of Triticum cf. durum/aestivum) as well. Grains of foxtail millet (Setaria italica) and common millet (Panicum miliaceum) broadened the range of cereal crops. Within the plant assemblage pulses were represented by several seeds of faba bean (Vicia faba), some of which were damaged by bean weevil (Bruchus rufimanus) and by one seed of lens (Lens culinaris). The fruit consumption was shown by the presence of six taxa: cornel (Cornus mas), apple (Malus sp.), probably olive (cf. Olea sp.), pine seed (Pinus sp.), acorn (Quercus sp.) and grapevine (Vitis vinifera). Grape seeds were very abundant, amounting for almost half of the total fruit remains, but the poor preservation of these grape seeds did not allow any morpho-biometrical analysis, remaining uncertain their origin from wild or domestic grapevine. Weeds were relatively poorly represented in the list of the identified species (Apium cf. nodiflorum, Apiaceae indet., Vicia/Lathyrus, Stachys sp., Avena sp., cf. Avena sp., Lolium sp., Poaceae indet., Polygonum sp., Rumex sp., Potamogeton sp., Galium sp.). The carpological record provides substantial information on the agricultural practices of the region and offers also detailed information on the exploitation of the local natural resources and the food production of human community, during the Bronze Age in Polesine. The archaeobotanical assemblage from Frattesina was furthermore analyzed from the point of view of its cultural, chronological and geographic significance, comparing it to the data collected from other Bronze Age sites of Northeast Italy (Veneto, Trentino, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Emilia Romagna). This study suggests a settled and differentiated agriculture regime, mainly based on the cultivation of hulled six-row barley and emmer. Einkorn was probably a sporadic presence, while though sporadic presence of free threshing wheat could suggest that the crops landscape was changing and that these wheats would have performed progressively a non-secondary role in the agriculture of the area. Among cereals, an important role was played by foxtail millet and common millet, which could offer a valuable and substantial contribution to human nutrition, supplementing with their grains, the food production for the inhabitants of Frattesina. Lentils and faba bean represent another confirmation of the diversification of agriculture, which included, in addition to cereals grown on large fields, legumes traditionally related to horticultural practices. Finally, gathering wild fruits, such as cornel, apple, pine seed, oak acorn, grapevine and probably olive, is a well-documented practice so fruits were a food supplement of a vegetable diet based on products from a differentiated agriculture. Plant remains from Frattesina ultimately constitute an important source for the reconstruction of the protohistorical agricultural economy, in particular, in Polesine region and, more generally, in Northeast Italy.
I resti vegetali dal sito di Frattesina
M. Delle Donne
;
2019-01-01
Abstract
The paper presents the results of the archaeobotanical investigation carried out at the site of Frattesina, dated to the Final Bronze Age. A thorough sampling program was undertaken during the seasons 1976, 1977, 1979 and 1980 with the collecting of 146 samples, for a total of 1095 litres of soil water-sieved, that yielded a total of 6194 charred and mineralized plant remains. Most of the retrieved plant material were grains and chaff remains of cereals, among which the barley grains were the most common finds. Less numerous were the remains of glume wheats (grains of einkorn, Triticum monococcum; grains and few spikelet forks of emmer, Triticum dicoccum) and those of free threshing wheat (grains of Triticum cf. durum/aestivum) as well. Grains of foxtail millet (Setaria italica) and common millet (Panicum miliaceum) broadened the range of cereal crops. Within the plant assemblage pulses were represented by several seeds of faba bean (Vicia faba), some of which were damaged by bean weevil (Bruchus rufimanus) and by one seed of lens (Lens culinaris). The fruit consumption was shown by the presence of six taxa: cornel (Cornus mas), apple (Malus sp.), probably olive (cf. Olea sp.), pine seed (Pinus sp.), acorn (Quercus sp.) and grapevine (Vitis vinifera). Grape seeds were very abundant, amounting for almost half of the total fruit remains, but the poor preservation of these grape seeds did not allow any morpho-biometrical analysis, remaining uncertain their origin from wild or domestic grapevine. Weeds were relatively poorly represented in the list of the identified species (Apium cf. nodiflorum, Apiaceae indet., Vicia/Lathyrus, Stachys sp., Avena sp., cf. Avena sp., Lolium sp., Poaceae indet., Polygonum sp., Rumex sp., Potamogeton sp., Galium sp.). The carpological record provides substantial information on the agricultural practices of the region and offers also detailed information on the exploitation of the local natural resources and the food production of human community, during the Bronze Age in Polesine. The archaeobotanical assemblage from Frattesina was furthermore analyzed from the point of view of its cultural, chronological and geographic significance, comparing it to the data collected from other Bronze Age sites of Northeast Italy (Veneto, Trentino, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Emilia Romagna). This study suggests a settled and differentiated agriculture regime, mainly based on the cultivation of hulled six-row barley and emmer. Einkorn was probably a sporadic presence, while though sporadic presence of free threshing wheat could suggest that the crops landscape was changing and that these wheats would have performed progressively a non-secondary role in the agriculture of the area. Among cereals, an important role was played by foxtail millet and common millet, which could offer a valuable and substantial contribution to human nutrition, supplementing with their grains, the food production for the inhabitants of Frattesina. Lentils and faba bean represent another confirmation of the diversification of agriculture, which included, in addition to cereals grown on large fields, legumes traditionally related to horticultural practices. Finally, gathering wild fruits, such as cornel, apple, pine seed, oak acorn, grapevine and probably olive, is a well-documented practice so fruits were a food supplement of a vegetable diet based on products from a differentiated agriculture. Plant remains from Frattesina ultimately constitute an important source for the reconstruction of the protohistorical agricultural economy, in particular, in Polesine region and, more generally, in Northeast Italy.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
