This contribution reports on the ongoing interdisciplinary research program SUCCESSO-TERRA (Human societies, climate-environment changes and resource exploitation/sustainability in the Po Plain in the midHolocene: the Terramare culture; PRIN-20158KBLNB, 2017–2020; https://www.successoterra.net) aiming at reconstructing the landscape and landuse transformations that occurred during the development of the Terramare culture (16th-12th century BC) in the Po Plain of Northern Italy. The project joints experts on Geoarchaeology, Palynology and Archaeobotany to study high-resolution archaeological sediments with an interdisciplinary ecological perspective (Cremaschi et al. 2018). The study of sediments and pollen assemblage from both natural archives and selected Bronze Age sites (Terramara of Santa Rosa di Poviglio and Vasca di Noceto, and occupation layers of S. Michele di Valestra) shine a new light on the mutual interconnection between climate change, landuse, and human resilience. The palynological research focused on Santa Rosa di Poviglio and allowed details of some of the complex processesintheagriculturaleconomytobefilledin,suchaswerepracticedonthebasisofwoodmanagement and crop fields (Cremaschi et al. 2016). Pollen diagrams showed oscillations of the curves of deciduous oaks and other woody plants (Carpinus betulus, Corylus, Fraxinus and Carpinus orientalis/Ostrya carpinifolia). The role of trees and shrubs supplying fruits (Prunus and other woody Rosaceae, Cornus mas, and especially Corylus and Vitis) resulted of special interest. The fields included different types of cereals (Avena/Triticum and Hordeum groups, Secale cereale and Panicum). Most of the open landscapes around the villages were used for pastures as suggested mainly by Cichorieae and other pasture pollen indicators. The Anthropogenic Pollen Indicators-API group (Mercuri et al. 2013) are significant in the spectra together with other synanthropic plants, and indicate a continuative human pressure in the area. The last phases of the pollen diagrams show a decrease of woodland together with a reduction in cereal fields suggesting that soil and wood overexploitation might have been among the causes of the Terramare’s crisis and their societal collapse (Mercuri et al. 2006; Cremaschi et al. 2016). The interdisciplinary study will disclose the natural (environmental aridification) and anthropic (overexploitation of natural resources) reasons of the collapse of the Terramare culture, by investigating the environmental changes in the region and their relationships with the different land-use adopted by the Terramare people.

Environmental changes and human impact during the Middle to Recent Bronze Age in N Italy (SUCCESSO-TERRA Project) / Mercuri, Anna Maria; Florenzano, Assunta; Zerboni, Andrea; Bosi, Giovanna; Brandolini, Filippo; Clo', Eleonora; Mariani, Guido S.; Mazzanti, Marta; Rinaldi, Rossella; Torri, Paola; Cremaschi, Mauro. - (2019), p. 102. (Intervento presentato al convegno The Mediterranean Palynological Societies Symposium 2019 tenutosi a Bordeaux nel 9-10-11 luglio 2019).

Environmental changes and human impact during the Middle to Recent Bronze Age in N Italy (SUCCESSO-TERRA Project)

Anna Maria Mercuri;Assunta Florenzano;Giovanna Bosi;Eleonora Clò;Marta Mazzanti;Rossella Rinaldi;Paola Torri;Mauro Cremaschi
2019

Abstract

This contribution reports on the ongoing interdisciplinary research program SUCCESSO-TERRA (Human societies, climate-environment changes and resource exploitation/sustainability in the Po Plain in the midHolocene: the Terramare culture; PRIN-20158KBLNB, 2017–2020; https://www.successoterra.net) aiming at reconstructing the landscape and landuse transformations that occurred during the development of the Terramare culture (16th-12th century BC) in the Po Plain of Northern Italy. The project joints experts on Geoarchaeology, Palynology and Archaeobotany to study high-resolution archaeological sediments with an interdisciplinary ecological perspective (Cremaschi et al. 2018). The study of sediments and pollen assemblage from both natural archives and selected Bronze Age sites (Terramara of Santa Rosa di Poviglio and Vasca di Noceto, and occupation layers of S. Michele di Valestra) shine a new light on the mutual interconnection between climate change, landuse, and human resilience. The palynological research focused on Santa Rosa di Poviglio and allowed details of some of the complex processesintheagriculturaleconomytobefilledin,suchaswerepracticedonthebasisofwoodmanagement and crop fields (Cremaschi et al. 2016). Pollen diagrams showed oscillations of the curves of deciduous oaks and other woody plants (Carpinus betulus, Corylus, Fraxinus and Carpinus orientalis/Ostrya carpinifolia). The role of trees and shrubs supplying fruits (Prunus and other woody Rosaceae, Cornus mas, and especially Corylus and Vitis) resulted of special interest. The fields included different types of cereals (Avena/Triticum and Hordeum groups, Secale cereale and Panicum). Most of the open landscapes around the villages were used for pastures as suggested mainly by Cichorieae and other pasture pollen indicators. The Anthropogenic Pollen Indicators-API group (Mercuri et al. 2013) are significant in the spectra together with other synanthropic plants, and indicate a continuative human pressure in the area. The last phases of the pollen diagrams show a decrease of woodland together with a reduction in cereal fields suggesting that soil and wood overexploitation might have been among the causes of the Terramare’s crisis and their societal collapse (Mercuri et al. 2006; Cremaschi et al. 2016). The interdisciplinary study will disclose the natural (environmental aridification) and anthropic (overexploitation of natural resources) reasons of the collapse of the Terramare culture, by investigating the environmental changes in the region and their relationships with the different land-use adopted by the Terramare people.
2019
The Mediterranean Palynological Societies Symposium 2019
Bordeaux
9-10-11 luglio 2019
Mercuri, Anna Maria; Florenzano, Assunta; Zerboni, Andrea; Bosi, Giovanna; Brandolini, Filippo; Clo', Eleonora; Mariani, Guido S.; Mazzanti, Marta; Ri...espandi
Environmental changes and human impact during the Middle to Recent Bronze Age in N Italy (SUCCESSO-TERRA Project) / Mercuri, Anna Maria; Florenzano, Assunta; Zerboni, Andrea; Bosi, Giovanna; Brandolini, Filippo; Clo', Eleonora; Mariani, Guido S.; Mazzanti, Marta; Rinaldi, Rossella; Torri, Paola; Cremaschi, Mauro. - (2019), p. 102. (Intervento presentato al convegno The Mediterranean Palynological Societies Symposium 2019 tenutosi a Bordeaux nel 9-10-11 luglio 2019).
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