HUMAN-ENVIRONMENTAL INTERACTION IN MALTA FROM THE NEOLITHIC TO THE ROMAN PERIOD: ARCHAEOBOTANICAL...

edizioni quasar

Scienze dell’antichità

18 – 2012

sapienza università di romadipartimento di scienze dell’antichità

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dipartimento di scienze dell’antichità

Direttoreenzo lippolis

Comitato di Direzionemaria Giovanna Biga, savino di lernia, eugenia equini schneider,

Giovanna maria Forni, Gian luca Gregori, laura maria michetti, Frances pinnock, loredana sist, maurizio sonnino, eleonora tagliaferro

Comitato scientificorosa maria albanese (catania), Graeme Barker (cambridge),

corinne Bonnet (toulouse), alain Bresson (chicago), Jean-marie durand (paris), alessandro Garcea (lyon), andrea Giardina (Firenze), michel Gras (roma),

henner von hesberg (roma-dai), tonio hölscher (heidelberg), mario liverani (roma), paolo matthiae (roma), athanasios rizakis (atene), Guido vannini

(Firenze), alan Walmsley (copenhagen)

Redazionelaura maria michetti

sapienza università di roma

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intRoduction

In the year 2000, as part of the programme of activities by the Italian Archaeological Mission in Malta, a series of archaeobotanical analyses1 were carried out at the site of Tas-silġ (northern sector).

The investigations encompassed excavation assays pertaining to various phases of the site occupation, from the Late neolithic to the roman period.

The sampling strategies were individually tailored to the type and function of the contexts being investigated and were aimed at the recovery of plant macro-remains, specifically burnt fragments of woody tissue and remains of seeds/fruits.

The gathered data were used to determine the relationship between the vegetational envi-ronment and human beings by reconstructing (i) the ways in which the trees and wooded areas were exploited for firewood and carpentry and (ii) patterns of agriculture for food production.

GeoGRaPhical settinG

The Maltese Islands, situated in the central Mediterranean some 90 km south of sicily and 350 km north of Libya, enjoy a Mediterranean climate with mild winters and warm sum-mers. The islands are characterised by a considerable diversity of landscapes, resulting from geological-geomorphological processes, variations in sea-level and human impact.

The islands are composed of marine sedimentary rocks, mainly oligo-Miocene limestone (30-35 million years BP) and Quaternary deposits of terrestrial origin2. There are five main types of rock: (in order of decreasing age) Lower coralline Limestone (140 m thick), Globige-rina Limestone (23 m to 207 m thick), Blue clay (up to 65 m thick), Greensand (up to 12 m thick) and upper coralline Limestone (up to 162 m thick)3. The Pleistocene deposits include

1 The work is the result of an intense interaction between the authors. In particular, G. colaianni was re-sponsible for the archaeobotanical analysis of the histori-cal age’s contexts, while c. d’oronzo for the analysis of

the pre-protohistoric contexts. The palaeovegetational reconstructions were developed by G. Fiorentino.

2 bosence 1990.3 Pedley et al. 1976.

GiRolaMo fioRentino – cosiMo d’oRonzo – GiaMPieRo colaianni

HuMAn-enVIronMenTAL InTerAcTIon In MALTA FroM THe neoLITHIc To THe roMAn PerIod:

ArcHAeoBoTAnIcAL AnALyses AT TAs-sILĠ

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170 G. Fiorentino – c. d’oronzo – G. colaianni Sc. Ant.

paleosoils, fluvial gravels, coastal conglomerates and breccias, dunes and infilling of caves4. The erosion of rocks has resulted in geomorphological features such as sheer cliffs of coralline Limestone and a rolling landscape of Globigerina Limestone. There are no mountains, lakes, rivers or streams. other geomorphological features of particular importance are the wadis, drainage channels formed by streams (during the Pleistocene period) or by tectonic processes5. environmental studies of coastal areas reveal variations in sea level during the Pleistocene and Holocene periods6 resulting from dynamic patterns in the Mediterranean Basin7.

The landscape is currently dominated by vegetation consisting mainly of ruderal and al-lochthonous species while the original native flora has been lost or marginalised8.

The current vegetation can be divided into five main groups (Fig. 1):- Mixed forest: vegetation composed mainly of trees, including shrub and bush understo-

ries, where broadleaved plants predominate;- coniferous forest: vegetation composed mainly of trees, including shrub and bush under-

stories, where coniferous species predominate;- sclerophyllous vegetation: bushy sclerophyllous vegetation, which includes maquis and

garrigue. Generally composed of kermes oak (Quercus coccifera), arbutus (Arbutus un-edo), lavender (Lavandula sp.), thyme (Thymus sp.), cistus (Cistus sp.), etc. It may include a few isolated trees.

- sparse vegetation characterised by low shrubs such as Mediterranean heather (Erica mul-tiflora) and Maltese spurge (Euphorbia melitensis); it includes cultivated or abandoned agricultural land dominated by grass and steppe vegetation;Locally along the wadis there are freshwater communities dominated by deciduous

woodland with poplar (Populus alba), willow (Salix pedicellata) and elm (Ulmus canescens), sometimes accompanied by laurel (Laurus nobilis)9.

PalaeoVeGetational data

Few palaeoenvironmental studies have been carried out on the Maltese islands and there has been little botanical analysis in archaeological contexts (Fig. 1; Tab. 1).

Knowledge of the Pleistocene vegetation of the Maltese Islands is still limited. Leaves of laure (Laurus nobilis) and Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis) were recorded from undated Pleis-tocene deposits at Ghar dalam10, while pollen data from Fiddien Valley tufa, dated approxi-mately to the Late Pliocene – early Holocene11, show a forested landscape with arboreal pol-len (Corylus, Pinus, Alnus, Quercus, Fraxinus, Tilia, Betula). According to the authors, it is typical of Pleistocene interglacial vegetation12.

4 hunt 1997.5 andeRson 1997.6 MaRRineR et al. 2012.7 fleMMinG et al. 1998; MoRhanGe et al. 2001.8 scheMbRi 1993, 1997.

9 haslaM - boRG 1996.10 zaMMit MaeMPel 1977, 1982.11 Pedley 1980.12 hunt 1997.

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18, 2012 Human-environmental interaction in Malta 171

The earlier Holocene flora of Malta includes, from the neolithic levels of the skorba site, Cercis siliquastrum, Crataegus sp., Fraxinus sp.13 and Phillyrea14. other charcoals found in the copper-Age levels of the same site show the presence of Olea species15. Pollen analysis of the Bronze Age levels of Tal-Mejtin shows Pinus and Olea grains16.

other data from the sedimentary archives of Marsa core 1 provide information about the environment from the neolithic to the Byzantine periods, with tree pollen of Acacia, oleaceae, Carpinus betulus, Picea, Pinus, Quercus, Ostrya and cupressaceae, shrub pollen of ericaceae, rosaceae, and grass pollen of cerealia, Typha, chenopodiaceae, Linum and Lactuceae17.

The charcoals in the same core were recognized as cupressaceae (Juniperus phoenicea-type), found only in the neolithic period18.

This core also contained fruits/seeds (380 remains in total) including grape pips (Vitis vinifera) from the Late Bronze Age/Phoenician period, the roman period and the Late Middle Age; olive stones (Olea europaea) dating back to the Late Bronze Age/Phoenician period and the roman period; and fig (Ficus carica) from the neolithic level to modern times19.

13 Metcalfe 1966.14 cutleR in RenfReW, c. 1972.15 Metcalfe 1966.16 GodWin 1961 cited in fenech 2007.17 caRRoll in fenech 2007; recently in caRRoll

et al. 2012 the pollen sequence of Marsa was published together new sequences from salina Bay at Malta and santa Marija Bay at comino.

18 caRRión in fenech 2007.19 tuRneR in fenech 2007.

Fig. 1 – Veg-etation map; the black dots repre-sent the contexts cited in the text, from Malta and the central Med-iterranean Basin.

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An important sedimentary sequence from Burmarrad20, analysed by means of a series of continuous cores in order to reconstruct the dynamics of water course and variations in sea level, yielded significant preliminary information on the vegetational characteristics of the area. The authors elsewhere publish the pollen diagram21 and they point out that in the course of the neolithic (around 7300 BP) the pollen spectrum was dominated by Pistacia (>60%) in association with other anthropogenic taxa (Plantago lanceolata-type, Rumex, Asphodelus). They interpret this information as a consequence of anthropic activity and overgrazing.

Archaeobotanical analyses (of pollen and plant macro-remains) also provide information about the settlers use of edible plants in the neolithic – such as Triticum dicoccum, T. compactum, Lens esculenta and Hordeum sp. in skorba22 – and in the Bronze Age, such as Vicia faba, Lens esculenta and Hordeum vulgare in Tarxien23. Analyses of pollen24 and plant macro-remains25 in Tas-silġ-southern sector show the presence of cereals in the Bronze Age and Phoenician period.

despite the adoption of specific sampling and sediment flotation strategies, the recent archaeological research conducted in Brochtorff circle26 did not yield plant-macro remains.

In this general framework, working in Tas-silġ-northern sector, researchers from the Laboratory of Archaeobotany and Palaeoecology at the university of the salento recovered a large number of remains of both charcoals and seeds/fruits, which the archaeobotanical analy-ses dated to an arc running from the Late neolithic to the Byzantine epoch27.

20 MaRRineR et al. 2012.21 djaMali et al. 2012.22 helbaek 1966.23 helbaek 1971; RenfReW 1972.

24 fenech 2001.25 lanfRanco in fenech 2001.26 Malone et al. 2009.27 colaianni et al. 2007; d’oRonzo et al. 2008.

Tab. 1 – Palaeobotanical analyses availables in Maltese Islands.

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aRchaeobotanical analyses at tas-silG: MateRial and Methods

sediment samples were collected from archaeological layers and water-sieved with 3.0 and 0.5 mm meshes in the field in accordance with standard archaeobotanical methods. charred plant remains (charcoals and seeds/fruits) were collected and examined with a stereomicro-scope (nikon sMz 645). The charcoal fragments were first manually fractured in order to obtain transversal, tangential and radial sections of woody structures to be observed by metal-lographic microscope (nikon Me600). charcoals were taxonomically identified in accordance with keys in wood atlases28.

The taxonomic identification of seeds was based on the anatomical features in cross, lateral, ventral and dorsal view, which were observed with a stereo-microscope and compared with atlases29 and with the seed reference collection at the Laboratory of Archaeobotany of salento university.

Results

The archaeobotanical assemblage includes 14,901 charred plant remains: 14,162 charcoal fragments and 739 seeds/fruits, taken from 900 soil samples (a total of 5,546 l of sediment).

Charcoals.The anthracological analysis recorded 18 taxa in total (Fig. 2), that include olive (Olea eu-

ropaea), heathers (Erica sp.), oaks (Quercus spp.) including evergreen oaks (Quercus type ilex) and deciduous (Quercus type robur), pomegranate (Punica granatum), mastic (Pistacia cfr. lentiscus), legumes (Leguminosae), myrtle (Myrtus communis), fig (Ficus carica), buckthorn/phillyrea (Rhamnus/Phillyrea), Mediterranean pine (Pinus type pinea-halepensis), cypress (cfr. Cupressus), juniper (cfr. Juniperus), hornbeam (Carpinus sp.), drupe-bearing trees (Pru-noideae), hazel/alder (Corylus/Alnus) and maple (Acer sp.).

The analysis shows vegetation composed of both arboreal and shrub elements belonging to xerophile associations, common in hot and dry environments, and thermophile associations, which prefer relatively cooler and more humid conditions30. The number of fragments datable to the Late neolithic period preceding the construction of the Tas-silġ temples, is rather low and olive is the only attested plant.

In the period related to the construction, use and collapse of the Late neolithic temples at Tas-silg (Tarxien Temple phase), Olea, Rhamnus/Phillyrea, Leguminosae and Erica predomi-nate, together with mastic (Pistacia cfr. lentiscus) and myrtle (Myrtus communis). Also present are elements typical of mixed woods such as hornbeam and deciduous oaks, as well as Prunoideae and pomegranate.

28 fahn et al. 1986; GReGuss 1955, 1959; jacquiot 1955; jacquiot et al. 1973; naRdi beRti 2006; schWein-GRubeR 1990; VeRnet et al. 2001.

29 MaRtin - baRkley 1961; katz et al. 1965;

beRGGRen 1981; schoch et al. 1988; andeRbeRG 1994; jacoMet 2006.

30 scheMbRi 1993; haslaM - boRG 1996.

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The early Bronze Age (Thermi Ware and Tarxien cemetery periods) is characterised by the same plants as the neolithic, with a greater number of oaks, particularly evergreens (Quer-cus type ilex).

during the Borg in-nadur phase (second half of the second millennium Bc) there is a reduction in the number of fragments attributed to Olea, Erica, Rhamnus/Phillyrea, Pistacia cfr. lentiscus, Myrtus communis and Leguminosae, while oaks (both evergreen and deciduous) disappear completely. There is a relative increase in Punica granatum, Ficus and Prunoideae.

At the time of writing, the analyses of samples from the Late Bronze Age/early Iron Age (Bahrija phase) are still in progress, and no information for this period is yet available.

The Archaic phase, divided into two parts (Phoenician and Phoenician-Punic) is domi-nated by olive, with rare instances, concentrated mainly in the early stages, of conifers such as pines (Pinus type pinea-halepensis) (Fig. 3a-b) and cypress (cfr. Cupressus).

The levels attributed to the Hellenistic phase (4th-3rd century Bc) are characterized by mixed woodland elements such as Carpinus sp., Quercus type robur, Acer sp. and Corylus/Alnus, while in the roman phase (2nd-1st century Bc) olive and Mediterranean pines dominate once again.

Seeds/Fruits.The carpological assemblage includes caryopses of cereals such as einkorn (Triticum mono-

coccum), emmer (Triticum dicoccum), naked wheats (Triticum aestivum/durum) and barley

Fig. 2 – Anthracological diagram from Tas silg (sector north).

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(Hordeum ulgare), as well as chaffs of hulled wheats (Fig. 3c-d). Also retrieved were frag-ments of pulses such as lentil (Lens culinaris), vetches (Vicia sp.), pea (Pisum sativum) and fragments of grape pips (Vitis vinifera) and olive stones (Olea europaea) (Figs. 4-5).

The analyses show the presence of ce-reals, pulses, weeds and tree fruits through-out the prehistoric and Phoenician phases, but only tree fruits (attested by olive stones) during the roman phase.

during the Late neolithic period (be-fore the temple building phase) the cereal assemblage (77 seeds) is dominated by Hor-deum. In the subsequent Late neolithic phas-es (building, use and collapse of the temples), barley decreases and hulled wheats, such as emmer (Triticum dicoccum), increase (with a few instances of naked wheat). Legumes (2 seeds), such as Lens and Vicia are present

during the neolithic only in these phases building phase.The Bronze Age cereal assemblage is more representative (615 seeds). Generally barley

decreases during the early Bronze Age, a tendency that intensifies in the Tarxien cemetery phase. other cereals, such as hulled wheats (Triticum monococcum, Triticum dicoccum) peak in the Thermi Ware phase and decrease in the Tarxien cemetery phase. The naked wheats reap-pear at the end of the early Bronze Age (Tarxien cemetery phase).

In the second half of the second millennium (Borg in-nadur phase) barley increases (ac-counting for 55% of the assemblage) and is associated with hulled wheats (accounting for 40% of the assemblage), while naked wheats are marginal.

during the Bronze Age there is a greater variability of legumes, with Lens, Vicia, Pisum and Lathyrus.

In the Iron Age the number of plant macro remains declines: specifically there are fewer cereal caryopses (2 seeds) during the Bahrija phase in the early Iron Age. Barley and naked wheat are present only during the subsequent Phoenician phases.

Fruit seeds, such as grape pips, are attested from the early Bronze Age onwards while olive stones are present only during the roman period.

discussion

until recently the archaeobotanical data from the various Maltese contexts did not shed much light on the strategies for exploitation of natural resources. specifically, from a diachron-

Fig. 3 – Plant macroremains from Tas silg (sector north): a)Trasversal section of Pinus type pinea-halepensis; b) ra-dial section of Pinus type pinea-halepensis; c), Ventral sec-tion of Hulled wheat; d) spikelets of hulled wheat.

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ic perspective, there was little that it could elucidate either the variations in agricultural pat-terns or the use of natural forests.

Given the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the materials recovered and ana-lysed, as well as the extremely broad chronological range considered (about 3600 years), the archaeobotanical analyses conducted so far in Tas-silġ-northern sector provide – for the first time – accurate information on the variations in vegetation and agricultural practices with ref-erence to the phases of occupation of the site from the Late neolithic to the roman period.

PalaeoVeGetational ReconstRuction and landscaPe PatteRns

In general, the anthracological analysis highlights the presence of a substrate made up of ther-mo-Mediterranean vegetation dominated by Olea europaea, which seems to be favoured on one hand by the geo-pedological conditions of the island and on the other by a progressive advance-ment of Mediterranean maquis in the Mid Holocene throughout the Mediterranean Basin31. The various species discovered, a combination of xerophile and thermophile, indicate the presence

Fig. 4 – diachronical diagram of seeds/fruits remains.

31 VeRnet - thiébault 1987; jalut et al. 2009.

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of plant associations with overlapping natural ranges and highlight anthropic impacts whose intensity varied over time.

The cereal and legume remains highlight variations in agricultural techniques in the vari-ous phases of occupation of the site, probably reflecting the response of farmers to the climatic micro-variations that were typical of the Mid Holocene32 reflected the specific functions of the archaeological contexts in question.

i) Neolithic period.The Late neolithic levels preceding the building of the temples33 have so far yielded few

remains, so that a thorough assessment of the characteristics of the natural vegetation in this phase is complex34.

Better data is available however for the period starting with the building of the Late neolithic sanctuary, in which the presence of olive associated with mastic, myrtle and buckthorn/phillyrea (Rhamnus/Phillyrea), indicate a typical Mediterranean maquis environment. remains of decidu-

32 MayeWski et al. 2004.33 For a syntesis on stratigraphy of neolitic pe-

riod in relation to pre-building and building phases of

the Temple, see cazzella - Recchia supra.34 djiaMali et al. 2012; caRRoll et al. 2012.

Fig. 5 – diachronical distribution of cereals.

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ous oak (Quercus type robur) and hornbeam (Carpinus sp.) highlight the presence of areas charac-terised by residual vegetation, associated with more humid climatic conditions, while the presence of Erica cfr. multiflora may be the result of soil erosion, possibly indicating anthropic pressure dating back to the earliest phases of occupation. All the species attested were found in combustion structures; only olive was used in construction, specifically for the roofing of certain parts of the megalithic temples, as attested by the remains recovered in area IVA and room M.

The palaeo-vegetational information derived from the anthracological data seem to be confirmed on the regional level by the pollen analyses at Marsa35, in which thermo-mesophile arboreal taxa are attested from the Late neolithic onwards, and by the palaeo-vegetational finds reported for Burmarrad36, where a preponderance of Pistacia is attested.

The local cultivation of cereals shown by the presence of Hordeum vulgare, Triticum dicoccum and Tr. aestivum/durum is confirmed at a regional level by the increase in cerealia pollen in the same sequence as Marsa and salina Bay37 and by the discoveries of caryopses of Triticum dicoccum, Triticum compactum and Hordeum in skorba38.

ii) Bronze Age.In the first part of the early Bronze Age (Thermi Ware period) the vegetation is character-

ised by holm-oaks (Quercus type ilex) and by the increase in myrtle and buckthorn/phillyrea. subsequently, in the Tarxien cemetery period, there seems to be little change with respect

to the Thermi Ware phase. Indeed, the xerothermic conditions do not change significantly, since the reduction in mastic, associated with the reduction in holm-oaks, is concomitant with the increase in other basically xerophile species, such as olive and heather.

In the Late Bronze Age – Borg-in-nadur phase, the same vegetational characteristics as in the Late neolithic period seem to be attested.

The shift from the Late neolithic to the Bronze Age seems to be characterised on a re-gional level by the resurgence of arboreal taxa (pines, oaks) and a fall in cereal pollen39.

In contrast, from the Thermi Ware phase onwards the carpological analyses point to ex-tensive cereal cultivation, attested by the presence of Hordeum vulgare, Triticum monococcum, Triticum dicoccum and, from the Tarxien cemetery phase onwards, Triticum aestivum/durum. The discovery of these remains is often associated with combustion structures situated outside the megalithic buildings, probably linked to the processing or cooking of cereals. The same species are cultivated in the Borg-in-nadur phase as in the first half of the 2nd millennium Bc, associated with an increase in barley and a greater taxonomic variability of legumes. The culti-vation of legumes is also attested by the archaeobotanical analyses of remains from the Tarxien cemetery period, with broad beam (Vicia faba) and lentil (Lens esculenta)40.

of special interest is the discovery in Tas-silġ – northern sector of grape pips dating back as far as the early Bronze Age, well before the attestations of vines in the Marsa core 1 sequence, which are dated to the Late Bronze Age/Phoenician period41.

35 caRRoll in fenech 2007; caRRoll et al. 2012.36 MaRRineR et al. 2012; djaMali et al. 2012.37 caRRoll et al. 2012.38 helbaek1966.

39 caRRoll in fenech 2007.40 helbaek 1971; RenfReW, j.M. 1972.41 tuRneR in fenech 2007.

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The presence of grape pips in Tas-silġ-northern sector seems to be linked to the discov-ery of vines on the Aeolian Islands at the sites of Filicudi42 (capo Graziano phase) and salina43 (Milazzese phase).

iii) Iron Age-Archaic period.The currently available archaeobotanical data pertain to the Archaic phase (Phoenician-

Punic/Punic phase) and indicate a landscape characterised by the dominance of olive trees over the other Mediterranean maquis plants, indicating that they were probably cultivated. Also present in this phase is the Mediterranean pine (Pinus type pinea-halepensis), a residue of last-glacial vegetation still present on the island at that time, probably also used as fuel.

iv) Hellenistic-Roman period.In the Hellenistic phase the vegetation is characterised by the reduction of olives trees

and a new increase in other maquis plants, associated with an increase in heathers. This is a pos-sible indication of a shift in the xerophile vegetation towards more degraded forms as a result of the greater frequency of fires caused by anthropic activities, as seems to be attested on the regional level by the peak in micro-charcoals in Marsa core 144.

The roman phase shows a change in the management of plant resources, with an increase in olives, attested by both charcoals and olive stones. This indicates that olive trees were sys-tematically cultivated, as does the presence on the island of what are believed to be structures for oil extraction45.

conclusion

The stratigraphic sequence brought to light by the excavations of Tas-silġ-northern sector highlights the occupation of the site from the Late neolithic to the roman period, making it pos-sible, for the first time in Malta, to determine the relationships between anthropic activities and environment over a period of about 3600 years with reference to archaeobotanical analyses.

The palaeo-vegetational data obtained from the anthracological analyses seem to be cor-related with general palaeo-climatic tendencies on the Mediterranean scale. specifically, the pollen analyses carried out in Gorgo Basso at sicily46 highlight – from 5,050 Bc onwards – an expansion of forests of Olea and evergreen oaks, in which however humid conditions persist, enabling the survival of elements of mesophile woods.

Between the 5th and the 3rd millennium Bc the maquis-woods gradually shrink in both Gorgo Basso and other Mediterranean sequences47, with short-duration micro-oscillations that continue well into the 3rd millennium Bc48.

42 MaRtinelli et al. 2010.43 fioRentino et al. 2010.44 caRRoll in fenech 2007.45 daVico 1966; bRuno 2004.

46 tinneR et al. 2009.47 noti et al. 2009; sadoRi et al. 2004; Valsecchi

et al. 2006.48 MaGny et al. 2009.

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This framework seems to be confirmed by the anthracological sequence of Tas-silġ – northern sector, in which, from the Thermi Ware phase onwards, conditions tend to become drier, with an increase in Leguminosae, Rhamnus and the cultivation of barley associated with hulled wheats. The Tarxien cemetery period corresponds to the return of more humid condi-tions, with the reappearance of naked wheats and a reduction in xerophile taxa.

The analysis highlighted variations in natural plant coverage and agricultural patterns that seem to be related to micro-variations in the climate on a Mediterranean scale during the Mid Holocene.

despite the quantitative and qualitative wealth of the anthracological data available, it is not possible to assess whether the variations in the plant coverage in Malta are actually caused by Mediterranean-scale climatic variations, as the geographical position of Malta in the centre of the Mediterranean Basin makes it subject to interactions between Atlantic and north-African cur-rents49. Archaeobotanical analyses conducted in other Mediterranean island contexts50 also show that the resilience of the human groups in these environments manifests itself in the rich variety of strategies adopted for exploiting the plant resources, whatever the climatic conditions. Fur-ther research in natural sedimentary contexts near the site may better elucidate the interaction between human occupation strategies in the area and regional environmental variations.

acknoWledGMents

The authors wish to thank Prof. Maria Pia rossignani, di rector of the Italian Archaeological Mission in Malta, Anthony Pace and nathaniel cutajar, superintendence of cultural Heritage in Malta, for al lowing us to study the archaeobotanical remains of the site of Tas-silġ. This study was financed by the salento unit, directed by Prof. Grazia semeraro, of the Progetto nazionale MIur-PrIn 2007 - Archeologia dei luoghi di culto nel Mediterraneo. Approcci integrati allo studio dei complessi monumentali e delle pratiche rituali (2007J3E2N5_003) -, coordinated by Prof. Maria Pia rossignani. It was carried out in collaboration also with the università of roma La sapienza mission directed by Prof. Alberto cazzella. special thanks to Giulia recchia for fruitful discussions and all the people of Tas-silġ excavations, without whose helpful assistance this research would not have been possible. We are also thankful for constructive comments to the two reviewers.

Girolamo Fiorentino, cosimo d’oronzo, Giampiero colaianniLaboratory of Archaeobotany and Palaeoecology,

Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Salento, [email protected]

[email protected]@libero.it

49 MaGRi - PaRRa 2002; d’oRonzo et al. 2008. 50 caRacuta et al. 2012.

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Riassunto

Le indagini archeobotaniche nel sito di Tas-silġ cantiere nord hanno interessato i diversi saggi di scavo pertinenti alle articolate fasi di frequentazione del sito, a partire dal neolitico Tardo sino alla fase roma-na. Le strategie di campionamento sono state differenziate secondo i contesti indagati e sono state mirate al recupero di macroresti vegetali pertinenti a frammenti di tessuto legnoso combusto e resti di semi/frutti. I dati raccolti sono stati utilizzati per definire le relazioni tra ambiente vegetale e uomo, attraverso la ricostruzione delle modalità di sfruttamento della vegetazione arborea per l’approvvigionamento di combustibile e degli elementi di carpenteria, e con la ricostruzione delle modalità di produzione agricola a fini alimentari. Le analisi hanno permesso di evidenziare variazioni nella copertura vegetale naturale e nelle modalità di produzione agricola.

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