Plant macro-remains from the Late Iron Age smithy at Piperbühel (South Tyrol, Italy)

Abstract

From the Neolithic onwards, prehistoric human land use is testified by various archaeological records in the area around Piperbühel (South Tyrol, Italy). This archaeobotanical study involves a rare archaeological record, a Late Iron Age smithy which was evidenced by the smiths’ hearth and the smithing waste. The aim of this research was to broaden knowledge about the composition of finds, the plant diet and the environment of the smiths. There was a special focus on the edible fruits and nuts in the Eastern Alps during the Iron Age. Ten stratigraphic units with a total weight of 101 kg or a bulk volume of 92 l were archaeobotanically processed and analysed. The samples contained archaeological, archaeozoological and archaeobotanical finds. Cultivated plants such as Hordeum vulgare (barley), Triticum dicoccum (emmer), Panicum miliaceum (broomcorn millet) and Vicia faba (faba bean) were evidenced. They belonged to the most commonly cultivated plants during the Iron Age. The edible wild fruits and nuts of Cornus mas (cornel cherry), Corylus avellana (common hazel), Prunus cf. padus (probably bird cherry), Prunus cf. spinosa (probably sloe), Sambucus nigra (black elder), and Vitis vinifera (grapevine) were consumed. Recovered herbs and weeds such as Arenaria serpyllifolia (thyme-leaved sandwort), Chenopodium hybridum (maple-leaved goosefoot), Myosotis sylvatica (wood forget-me-not), Polygonum lapathifolium (curlytop knotweed), Rumex acetosa (common sorrel), Silene vulgaris (bladder campion) and Solanum nigrum (black nightshade) demonstrate different habitats. The wild plants reflect a cultural landscape characterised by low-density deciduous stands, hoe weed, ruderal plant and pastureland communities. The correlation of the edible fruits and nuts from 24 Iron Age settlements in different geographic regions of the Eastern Alps resulted in varying fruit compositions, which were due to different local growth and taphonomic conditions. The most frequently found fruits and nuts at the settlement sites during the Iron Age were C. avellana, V. vinifera, P. spinosa, Rubus (raspberry/blackberry) and Sambucus.