THE PROBLEM OF THE ALTERNATING DOMINANCE OF DECIDUOUS AND EVERGREEN VEGETATION: ARCHAEO-ANTHRACOLOGICAL DATA FROM NORTHERN MAREMMA

Abstract

In order to detect land use and forest cover changes from the 3 rd century BC to the half of the 13 th century AD in a coastal/sub-coastal area of northern Maremma, charcoal analysis were carried out on two archaeological sites dated between Roman period and Late Middle Age. From the 3 rd century BC to the end of Roman Age (6 th century AD), the vegetation is characterized by a degraded evergreen Quercus forest with evergreen sclerophyllous shrubs and low macchia; in the Middle Age, from the 10 th century AD to the half of the 13 th century AD, a mixed forest with evergreen and deciduous species covers the area. Data show that both evergreen Quercus forest and deciduous taxa spread during two warm/dry climatic phases, but respectively in the Roman phase of high human impact and in the Middle Age characterized by a low presence of settlements and anthropic pressure. The vegetation history is independent from the climatic variations characterizing the studied period: deciduous vegetation increases during phases of low human pressure, while evergreen vegetation is related to intense human impact and it is a response of the vegetation to a period of strong land use. The match of detailed archaeoenvironmental data and archaeological data may allow a more complete interpretation of the changes in vegetation cover that characterised Italy and the Mediterranean in the second half Holocene