Palaeovegetational reconstruction based on pollen and seeds/fruits from a Bronze Age archaeological site in Tuscany (Italy)

Abstract

A reconstruction of the vegetation surrounding the Bronze Age archaeological site of San Lorenzo a Greve (Florence) based on pollen and seed/fruit records is presented. Pollen analysis suggests the presence of prevailingly open and damp landscapes, typically occurring on alluvial soils. Patches of woodland, mostly formed by deciduous Quercus, Ulmus, Salix, were alternated to the grasslands. Vitis also probably grew in these damp thickets together with Alnus and Hedera. The forests on the hilly slopes included deciduous Quercus, Carpinus betulus, Corylus, Cornus mas, and Sambucus nigra. Where the soil was well drained, Ostrya carpinifolia and Mediterranean evergreen elements such as Q. ilex and Viburnum tinus grew. In the landscape scenario reconstructed by pollen analysis, seeds/fruits indicated the presence of specific plants which produce a low amount of pollen: they are seldom recorded in pollen spectra but their fruits were commonly gathered in prehistory.