Papers by Rossella Rinaldi
Plant Biosystems - An International Journal Dealing with all Aspects of Plant Biology, 2013
ABSTRACT Archaeo-environmental data were obtained from five small rural sites excavated as part o... more ABSTRACT Archaeo-environmental data were obtained from five small rural sites excavated as part of the Roman Peasant Project in southern Tuscany. Archaeo-botanical and archaeological data point to a moment of intensive land use in the late Republican/ Early Imperial date and to possible use of convertible agriculture strategies. The diversity of pasture-grazing plant species, the presence of coprophilous fungi, parasite eggs and the high values of pasture indicator pollen suggest that lands devoted to browsing animals covered an important part of the territory all around and in the vicinity of sites. The significant presence of cereals, with occasional presence of vines and olives, attests to the importance of grain agriculture in the same spaces. These data may be read as residues of convertible agricultural strategies in which pasture, including cultivated fodder, alternated with legumes and cereals. Read together, the data thus point to a major moment of intensified use and management of the land.
Indagini archeobotaniche sui riempimenti delle buche da rifiuti. (In Ventidue secoli a Parma: lo scavo sotto la sede centrale della Cassa di Risparmio in piazza Garibaldi.)
Archaeobotanical analyses were carried out on pits and latrine, dated to the 10th – 11th centurie... more Archaeobotanical analyses were carried out on pits and latrine, dated to the 10th – 11th centuries AD, from the site of Piazza Garibaldi. According to archaeological data, the site was a market square in Mediaeval times. Data from pollen and seeds/fruits were useful for both palaeoenvironmental and palaeoethnobotanical reconstruction, and together with NPPs including parasite remains contributed to add details on the function of the site. In the Middle Ages, cereal fields, together with legumes, grapevines and fruit trees to be grown in the area, together olive trees and Prunoideae. The analyses of plant and parasite remains in four pits and one latrine suggested that their infillings consisted of waste, human and animal excrements, deteriorated vegetable food and marcs. Human parasite eggs of Ascaris and Trichuris were found in the latrine, while parasites of animals were found also in the pits.
Dati archeobotanici dalla palude (In: Ventidue secoli a Parma: lo scavo sotto la sede centrale della Cassa di Risparmio in piazza Garibaldi)
The paper presents pollen and seed/fruit analyses carried out on the site Piazza Garibaldi of Par... more The paper presents pollen and seed/fruit analyses carried out on the site Piazza Garibaldi of Parma (Emilia Romagna, Northern Italy), dated to the 4th - 3rd/2nd centuries BC, i.e. around the time of Roman foundation of this town. The site was probably a sacral area. Archaeobotanical samples were collected from two layers: L325 (pollen samples Pro1, Pro2, and carpological sample Cro1); L320 (Pro3, Cro2). Data are useful both for palaeoenvironmental reconstructions and to make hypotheses about the divinities to which plant votive offerings were offered. Around the site, oak woods and hygrophilous woods were not extended. The plant landscape was probably dominated by herbs, and human activities highly influenced environmental features. In fact, cultivations including cereals, legumes, hemp, with possibly chestnut tree and vinegrape among woody plants, and especially a number of medicinal/vegetables/spices plants characterized the archaeobotanical record. Ficus, Vitis and Pomoideae, tog...
2013 RESEARCH DAY: Plants and man
The memory of water: Archaeobotanical evidence of wetland plants from Modena (Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy) and palaeoecological remarks
Plant Biosystems
Modena, founded by the Romans (183 BC), has always been conditioned by water in all its urban his... more Modena, founded by the Romans (183 BC), has always been conditioned by water in all its urban history. In the city, numerous archaeobotanical investigations have been carried out in order to reconstruct the natural landscape and human–environment interactions over time. During these investigations, four archaeological sites (two Roman and two medieval) have revealed deposits with a marked character of palaeobiocoenosis, largely resulting from the natural environment surrounding the sites, due to natural “seed rain”. These deposits are characterized by widespread evidence of plants related to water, constituting a valuable archive to investigate habitats which currently have become very rare and threatened, if they have not completely disappeared. The present paper aims to reveal the peculiarities of the Roman/medieval archaeocarpological floristic lists (through a comparison with the flora over the last two centuries in the area of Modena) and highlight the possible causes explainin...
Palaeoenvironment and land use of Roman peasant farmhouses in southern Tuscany
Plant Biosystems - An International Journal Dealing with all Aspects of Plant Biology, 2013
ABSTRACT Archaeo-environmental data were obtained from five small rural sites excavated as part o... more ABSTRACT Archaeo-environmental data were obtained from five small rural sites excavated as part of the Roman Peasant Project in southern Tuscany. Archaeo-botanical and archaeological data point to a moment of intensive land use in the late Republican/ Early Imperial date and to possible use of convertible agriculture strategies. The diversity of pasture-grazing plant species, the presence of coprophilous fungi, parasite eggs and the high values of pasture indicator pollen suggest that lands devoted to browsing animals covered an important part of the territory all around and in the vicinity of sites. The significant presence of cereals, with occasional presence of vines and olives, attests to the importance of grain agriculture in the same spaces. These data may be read as residues of convertible agricultural strategies in which pasture, including cultivated fodder, alternated with legumes and cereals. Read together, the data thus point to a major moment of intensified use and management of the land.
Over the last millennia, the land between the Alps and the Mediterranean Sea, characterized by ex... more Over the last millennia, the land between the Alps and the Mediterranean Sea, characterized by extraordinary habitat diversity, has seen an outstanding cross-cultural development. For the first time, this paper reports on the census of the Holocene archaeological sites that have been studied as part of archaeobotany in Italy (continental Italy, the Italian peninsula and islands) over the last quarter in a century. Pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs, seeds and fruits, woods/charcoals and other plant remains have all been analysed in multidisciplinary researches. A list of 630 sites has been provided by more than 15 archaeobotanical teams. The sites are located across the 20 regions of Italy, and in the Republic of San Marino (356 sites in northern Italy, 118 in central Italy, 156 in southern Italy and on the islands). They belong to several cultural phases: 321 sites are only pre-Roman, 264 are Roman/post-Roman, and 45 sites cover a broader range of time, present in both time spans. Site distribution is plotted in maps of site density according to geographical districts and the main chronological phases. The reference list helps to find analytical data referring to the descriptive papers that may be scattered throughout monographs and specific books on the matter. Please cite this article as: Mercuri, A.M., et al., Pollen and macroremains from Holocene archaeological sites: A dataset for the understanding of the bio-cultural diversity of the Italian landscape, Rev. Palaeobot. Palynol. (2014), http://dx.
Plants and culture: …, 2009
Over the last millennia, the land between the Alps and theMediterranean Sea, characterized by ext... more Over the last millennia, the land between the Alps and theMediterranean Sea, characterized by extraordinary habitat diversity, has seen an outstanding cross-cultural development. For the first time, this paper reports on the census of the Holocene archaeological sites that have been studied as part of archaeobotany in Italy (continental Italy, the Italian peninsula and islands) over the last quarter in a century. Pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs, seeds and fruits,
woods/charcoals and other plant remains have all been analysed in multidisciplinary researches. A list of 630 sites has been provided by more than 15 archaeobotanical teams. The sites are located across the 20 regions of Italy, and in the Republic of San Marino (356 sites in northern Italy, 118 in central Italy, 156 in southern Italy and on the islands). They belong to several cultural phases: 321 sites are only pre-Roman, 264 are Roman/post-Roman, and
45 sites cover a broader range of time, present in both time spans. Site distribution is plotted in maps of site density according to geographical districts and the main chronological phases. The reference list helps to find analytical data referring to the descriptive papers thatmay be scattered throughoutmonographs and specific books on the matter.
Atti della Società dei Naturalisti e Matematici di Modena 145: 83-108., 2014
The ruderal flora of the town of Modena (Italy) from Roman times to the present has been studied,... more The ruderal flora of the town of Modena (Italy) from Roman times to the present has been studied, taking into account the carpological remains found in four archaeological sites of the city centre (two of Roman age and two medieval) and carrying out a first survey of today's urban flora. The decrease of vegetal biodiversity is considerable: 141 taxa are listed for the Roman period but during the Middle Ages the number dwindles to 76, whilst at the present time only 69 species have been counted, although this investigation is still in a preliminary phase.
The evolution of Roman urban environments through the archaeobotanical remains in Modena - Northern Italy
Journal of Archaeological Science, 2014
The development of urban landscapes is investigated by integrated archaeobotany On-site / off-sit... more The development of urban landscapes is investigated by integrated archaeobotany On-site / off-site records allow the reconstruction of an urban environment of the past. A Roman town of the Po Plain showed high plant biodiversity. Habitat fragmentation was already present in the Roman times. Semi-natural environments at the edges of the town were evident at Early Medieval age The paper reports on the urban archaeobotany of Modena, a town that lies on the southern Po Plain of the Emilia Romagna region, Northern Italy. Founded in 183 BC, it was an important Roman colony known as Mutina. The integrated study of micro- and macro- remains, the interdisciplinary archaeological and botanical approach, and the comparison of on-site / off-site records allow the reconstruction of an urban environment of the past. Pollen and macroremains from four archaeological sites located in and around the ancient walls, along with pollen from an off-site trench, were studied with an integrated approach, aimed at reconstructing the main floristic, vegetational and palaeoecological features of the town and its surroundings between the 6th century BC and the 10th century AD. During the Roman age, the natural plant landscape was characterised by wetlands, thinly scattered mixed oak woods, cereal fields, gardens and other human environments; during the Late Roman and Early Medieval age, the woodlands increased. Some currently rare, or locally extinct, species lived in the area. The fragmentation of the landscape has been evident since the Roman times because pieces of the natural environments have survived near lands strongly modified by inhabitants.
Pollen and macroremains from Holocene archaeological sites: a dataset for the understanding of the bio-cultural diversity of the Italian landscape.
Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, 2014
Over the last millennia, the land between the Alps and the Mediterranean Sea, characterized by ex... more Over the last millennia, the land between the Alps and the Mediterranean Sea, characterized by extraordinary habitat diversity, has seen an outstanding cross-cultural development. For the first time, this paper reports on the census of the Holocene archaeological sites that have been studied as part of archaeobotany in Italy (continental Italy, the Italian peninsula and islands) over the last quarter in a century. Pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs, seeds and fruits, woods/charcoals and other plant remains have all been analysed in multidisciplinary researches. A list of 630 sites has been provided by more than 15 archaeobotanical teams. The sites are located across the 20 regions of Italy, and in the Republic of San Marino (356 sites in northern Italy, 118 in central Italy, 156 in southern Italy and on the islands). They belong to several cultural phases: 321 sites are only pre-Roman, 264 are Roman/post-Roman, and 45 sites cover a broader range of time, present in both time spans. Site distribution is plotted in maps of site density according to geographical districts and the main chronological phases. The reference list helps to find analytical data referring to the descriptive papers that may be scattered throughout monographies and specific books on the matter.
Atti della Società dei Naturalisti e Matematici di Modena 143/2012: 155-164., 2013
The Guide Group of the Botanical Garden of Modena continues its educational activities for school... more The Guide Group of the Botanical Garden of Modena continues its educational activities for schools.
The itinerary dedicated to Palaebotany and the book “Les îles du temps”, is illustrated in this article.
Excavating the Roman Peasant II: Excavations at Case Nuove, Cinigiano (GR).
Papers of the British School at Rome 09; 81:129-179. , Sep 2013
This report details the survey, excavations and materials analysis carried out at Case Nuove (GR)... more This report details the survey, excavations and materials analysis carried out at Case Nuove (GR) in Tuscany, a site identified by surface survey as a possible rural house, but which excavation and materials analysis suggest was a small-scale agro-processing point of late Republican date. Through accompanying analysis of pollen and land-use data, the article considers the problems this type of site — the stand-alone agro-processing point — presents for interpretations of the Roman landscape. The survey, excavations and materials analysis of Case Nuove revealed a small- scale agro-processing site, serving perhaps as a collective processing point for local farmers but controlled, at least in part, by a local villa. While only a single site in a complex landscape, it is hoped that the results from Case Nuove illuminate the importance of productive and processing activities as components of Roman landscapes and the embeddedness of such activities in their locale, that is, not only in the plant and physical landscapes, but also in the social complex formed by near (and far) human settlement.
This paper focuses on the archaeobotanical study of two Roman small farmhouses, San Martino and P... more This paper focuses on the archaeobotanical study of two Roman small farmhouses, San Martino and Poggio dell’Amore, located near Cinigiano, in the province of Grosseto-Tuscany. The sites were probably occupied during seasonal agricultural works, a peculiar typology of site that has not been usually identified in Roman sites of central Italy. The integrated analyses of pollen, non pollen palynomorphs, charcoal particles and seeds/fruits help to obtain interesting details on the site function, land use and palaeoenvironment of these archaeological contexts.
The archaeobotanical reconstruction shows that the landscape was fairly treeless. Pastures surrounded the small buildings while cereal fields were probably less extended or further away than legume fields cultivated to forage. Shrubs and some fruit trees might mark boundaries of fields, while the woods, including oak woods, were distributed far from the sites. Anthropogenic pollen indicators, spores of coprophilous fungi and parasite eggs point to the presence of excrements in the sites suggesting that the small buildings were used as small barns for domestic animals, or a temporary shed.
The present paper aims to show the importance of analyzing plant macroremains from urban excavati... more The present paper aims to show the importance of analyzing plant macroremains from urban excavations. Organic materials preserved below the historical city in waterlogged conditions are a fundamental resource, and the study of seeds and fruits gives a good contribution to historical and archaeological research.
Archaeobotany in urban contexts provides important results when the examined material comes from several excavations that "photograph" the territory over quite a long period. An overview of archaeobotanical analyses carried out on material from archaeological sites of Modena (Emilia-Romagna), from the 2nd century BC to the 6th century AD, made by the Laboratory of Palynology and Palaeobotany of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, is presented. The floristic list of seed/fruit analyses result is reported and interesting subject matters are tackled concerning both cultivated/cultivable plants (fruits and nuts, vegetables/aromatics/spices/medicinal plants, fibre and oil plants, cereals and pulses, flowers and other ornamental plants) and wild plants of no obvious use, together with wetland plants which are rare and endangered species in Emilia-Romagna today.
This paper presents the study of parasite remains recovered in pollen samples collected from arch... more This paper presents the study of parasite remains recovered in pollen samples collected from archaeological layers. Laboratory treatment enabled us to ob- tain very high concentrations of both pollen and parasite eggs from the same samples. The case study of the site of Piazza Garibaldi in Parma, a town in the Po plain, is reported. The site was a sacred area in Roman times and a market square in Medieval times (10th–11th century A.D.). Pollen, seeds, and fruits from the latter phase were collected from four Medieval pits and one cesspit. After a palynological treatment including sieving, floating, and light acetolysis, abundant quantities of parasite eggs were extracted. Human and animal parasite eggs belonging to Trichuris, Ascaris, Taenia/Echinococcus, Capillaria, Dicrocoelium, and Diphyllobothrium were found. The analyses of an- imal and plant remains identified in the same samples suggested that the pit infillings consisted of waste, human and animal excrements, deteriorated plant food, and refuse of grapes. Therefore, parasite remains help the inter- pretation of archaeobotanical data in identifying human behaviors and site functions.
Atti della Società dei Naturalisti e Matematici di Modena 01/2011; 142: 201-215., 2012
The archaeological excavations at the Bishop’s Palace of Modena (Italy) brought to light a canal ... more The archaeological excavations at the Bishop’s Palace of Modena (Italy) brought to light a canal dating from the 12th century AD, filled with plant material. Seeds and fruits, above all waterlogged and in a good state of preservation, are more than 50,000 and the floristic list includes 156 taxa. Archaeobotanical analyses show that the canal was filled up partly naturally, partly with man’s refuse, but it was rarely used as a dumping site or sewage. This canal, rich of ground wet plants, was probably next to a kitchen garden and a little orchard with fruits, vegetables, aromatic, medicinal and ornamental plants. The revision of the Flora of the Province of Modena allows past and present plants to be compared. Many taxa found in the archaeobotanical record are today rare or disappeared. Some of them have taken cover in the hills of Emilia-Romagna.
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Papers by Rossella Rinaldi
woods/charcoals and other plant remains have all been analysed in multidisciplinary researches. A list of 630 sites has been provided by more than 15 archaeobotanical teams. The sites are located across the 20 regions of Italy, and in the Republic of San Marino (356 sites in northern Italy, 118 in central Italy, 156 in southern Italy and on the islands). They belong to several cultural phases: 321 sites are only pre-Roman, 264 are Roman/post-Roman, and
45 sites cover a broader range of time, present in both time spans. Site distribution is plotted in maps of site density according to geographical districts and the main chronological phases. The reference list helps to find analytical data referring to the descriptive papers thatmay be scattered throughoutmonographs and specific books on the matter.
The itinerary dedicated to Palaebotany and the book “Les îles du temps”, is illustrated in this article.
The archaeobotanical reconstruction shows that the landscape was fairly treeless. Pastures surrounded the small buildings while cereal fields were probably less extended or further away than legume fields cultivated to forage. Shrubs and some fruit trees might mark boundaries of fields, while the woods, including oak woods, were distributed far from the sites. Anthropogenic pollen indicators, spores of coprophilous fungi and parasite eggs point to the presence of excrements in the sites suggesting that the small buildings were used as small barns for domestic animals, or a temporary shed.
Archaeobotany in urban contexts provides important results when the examined material comes from several excavations that "photograph" the territory over quite a long period. An overview of archaeobotanical analyses carried out on material from archaeological sites of Modena (Emilia-Romagna), from the 2nd century BC to the 6th century AD, made by the Laboratory of Palynology and Palaeobotany of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, is presented. The floristic list of seed/fruit analyses result is reported and interesting subject matters are tackled concerning both cultivated/cultivable plants (fruits and nuts, vegetables/aromatics/spices/medicinal plants, fibre and oil plants, cereals and pulses, flowers and other ornamental plants) and wild plants of no obvious use, together with wetland plants which are rare and endangered species in Emilia-Romagna today.