Crop and wild plant exploitation in Italy during the Neolithic period: New data from Su Mulinu Mannu, Middle Neolithic site of Sardinia

Abstract

This paper provides new data from Su Mulinu Mannu Late Middle Neolithic (ca. 4500–4100calBCE) open-air site, (Central-West Sardinia). The new archaeobotanical data from Sardinia provided us with information about an agricultural system based on the cultivation of different cereals, such as Triticum aestivum/durum, Hordeum vulgare var. nudum and Hordeum vulgare. Edible wild fruits, such as Ficus carica, Olea europaea subsp. europaea var. sylvestris, and Pinus sp. integrated subsistence in the site. In addition, seeds of typically Mediterranean trees and herbaceous plants such as Pistacia lentiscus and Malva sp., were also documented. This research provides the first evidence of the role of cultivated plants and wild fruit consumption in the diet of Middle Neolithic groups in Sardinia, in the broader framework of the Italian context.