Archaeobotany at Motya (Italy)

The archaeobotanical analyses carried out at the archaeological site of Motya (Sicily, Italy), a small island found in the Marsala Lagoon, in Western Sicily (Italy), are presented. Although the Phoenician-Punic period (late 8th century BC – 397 BC) represents the main occupational phase of the archaeological settlement, the island was occupied by indigenous populations since the 17th century BC and continued to be inhabited after the Siege of Motya (397/6 BC). The multidisciplinary study, which includes anthracology and carpology, aims at reconstructing the diet, land use and exploitation of natural resources on the island. Analyses focus mostly on the western slopes of the Acropolis, where a big disposal pit, dated from the end of 8th to the 6th century BC, was identified. Preliminary analyses reveal a vast assemblage of cereals (including Hordeum vulgare, Triticum monococcum, T. dicoccum and T. aestivum/durum), pulses (Cicer arietinum, Lathyrus sp., Pisum sativum, Vicia faba and V. ervilia) and fruits. These include Vitis vinifera, represented both by seeds and pedicels, and Punica granatum, whose spread to the Western Mediterranean is attributed to Phoenicians. Also weeds (Agropyron repens, Lolium perenne, Poa sp. and others) were found. In terms of charcoals, the most represented species are Olea europaea and Quercus ilex. This study, along with palynological analyses, should give a complete overview of the plant cultivation and plant use of the Phoenicians at Motya.