ARCHAEOBOTANICAL ANALYSIS OF A PHOENICIAN DISPOSAL PIT: A TOOL TO RECONSTRUCT PAST LANDSCAPE

The site of Motya, also called Mozia or Mothia, is a small islet in the middle of the Mediterranean, found in the Marsala lagoon, along the western coast of Sicily. Due to its strategic and harboured position, as well as the presence of a fresh-water source, the site has been constantly occupied since the 17th century BCE. Motya is best known for its PhoenicioPunic occupation, which started in the 8th century BCE and continued until the siege of Motya, in 397 BCE. The results here presented focus on the archaeobotanical materials coming from a disposal pit found in the residential area (D area) of the site, which dates back approximately to the 7th century BCE. Four depositional layers have been identified. Carpological and anthracological remains, preserved mostly by charring, were retrieved in-situ using the bucket floatation technique. Once dry, the light fraction was sieved through a series of piled up meshes of size 2, 1 and 0.5 mm, and hand-picked under the microscope. Also the heavy fraction, water sieved on a 1 mm mesh, underwent screening. The carpological remains were observed under a stereomicroscope and identified using a series of atlases. A Nomarski microscope was used to carry out observations on anthracological remains. Overall, more than 3000 seeds/fruits, belonging to over 70 taxa, and 700 charcoals, corresponding to 21 taxa, were retrieved from the deposit. Other than plants strictly referable to the diet of the inhabitants of the island, such as cereals (Hordeum vulgare and Triticum aestivum/durum), pulses (such as Pisum sativum, Lens culinaris and Vicia faba) and fruits (including Punica granatum and Vitis vinifera, whose arrival is attributable to Phoenicians), the assemblage is rich in weeds and other wild plants. These specimens provide interesting information about past agricultural practices, crop processing and past environment. For example, a high amount of Lolium temulentum, whose grain size is similar to that of cereals, indicates that this weed was removed by hand-picking from the edible crops. A total of 54 weed taxa have been found and a good correspondence with the current weed flora of the islet of Motya was found. The analysis of macro-remains is accompanied by the palynological study of sediments, complementing the results and providing hints on the reconstruction of the past island’s landscape.