Bites of history: Culinary and environmental insights from Late Roman Alba Fucens (Abruzzo, Italy)

The distribution of archaeobotanical analyses in Italy is uneven in terms of geographical and chronological distribution. For example, Abruzzo region is poorly represented, with only one study covering the Roman Age. In these terms, the carpological study carried out at Alba Fucens, founded at the end of the 4th century B.C., represents a valuable addition to the state of art. The materials object of this study were collected from a well in the Sanctuary of Hercules, which was filled with rubbles due to a Late Roman earthquake. Six soil samples (12.6 kg) were processed via water sieving at the Museo Paludi in Celano (Province of L’Aquila). Over 1500 carpological remains preserved by waterlogging and belonging to 68 taxa were identified. Numerous gathered fruit plants were attested (e.g. Corylus avellana, Juglans regia and Sambucus nigra), allowing to obtain information about food consumption to complement published zooarchaeological data. Interesting is the finding of Pinus pinea and Cupressus sempervirens, whose presence may be associated to votive offerings. The botanical assemblage also provides information about the natural environment surrounding the site, with herbaceous plants describing it as characterized by substantial water availability, Appennine grasslands and influenced by human presence.