This study investigates the Final Bronze Age archaeological site located on Monte Cimino (Soriano nel Cimino), a volcanic massif in Southern Etruria in central Italy, approximately 70 km north of Rome. The site has been extensively investigated from an archaeological perspective, allowing it to be identified as a fortified settlement with an elevated area that, due to its location and archaeological evidence, can be regarded as an acropolis, within which a monumental cult area has been excavated. This study increases that knowledge through the investigation of archaeobotanical remains that were retrieved during the excavation campaigns, thereby providing a better understanding of past human-plant relationships, with particular attention to the activities testified in the site. The analysed samples, including carpological and anthracological remains, are attributed to settlement phases 1B, 2A, 2B and 3B, all of which date to the Final Bronze Age (Protovillanovan culture, 12th-10th centuries BC), and were retrieved from contexts within the acropolis. The archaeobotanical assemblage is rich (57 taxa), mainly consisting of charcoals, charred seeds and caryopsis. The most represented taxa is Fagus sylvatica (beech) among charcoal fragments and Triticum turgidum ssp. dicoccon (emmer) and Hordeum vulgare (barley) within cereal grains. Across the investigated phases, a considerable variety of woody taxa has been identified suggesting that wood resources were exploited for different purposes, including construction and fuel. Considering the cultivated and edible plants, a change in agricultural and dietary habits has been evidenced with a shift from a mixture of wild fruits, oil and medicinal plants to a specific collection of cereal species. The plant assemblage studied hence provided valuable insight into the activities of the local community, displaying in particular how a mixed woodland dominated by mesophilous taxa had played a significant role in ritual practices.
Sustenance to Ritual in Monte Cimino: an archaeobotanical perspective / Desilva, D.A., Cardarelli, A., Cardarelli, L., Vignola, C., Masi, A.. - (2026), pp. 404-404. (32nd EAA Annual Meeting (Athens) Athens ).
Sustenance to Ritual in Monte Cimino: an archaeobotanical perspective
Danica Alicia Desilva;Andrea Cardarelli;Lorenzo Cardarelli;Cristiano Vignola;Alessia Masi
2026
Abstract
This study investigates the Final Bronze Age archaeological site located on Monte Cimino (Soriano nel Cimino), a volcanic massif in Southern Etruria in central Italy, approximately 70 km north of Rome. The site has been extensively investigated from an archaeological perspective, allowing it to be identified as a fortified settlement with an elevated area that, due to its location and archaeological evidence, can be regarded as an acropolis, within which a monumental cult area has been excavated. This study increases that knowledge through the investigation of archaeobotanical remains that were retrieved during the excavation campaigns, thereby providing a better understanding of past human-plant relationships, with particular attention to the activities testified in the site. The analysed samples, including carpological and anthracological remains, are attributed to settlement phases 1B, 2A, 2B and 3B, all of which date to the Final Bronze Age (Protovillanovan culture, 12th-10th centuries BC), and were retrieved from contexts within the acropolis. The archaeobotanical assemblage is rich (57 taxa), mainly consisting of charcoals, charred seeds and caryopsis. The most represented taxa is Fagus sylvatica (beech) among charcoal fragments and Triticum turgidum ssp. dicoccon (emmer) and Hordeum vulgare (barley) within cereal grains. Across the investigated phases, a considerable variety of woody taxa has been identified suggesting that wood resources were exploited for different purposes, including construction and fuel. Considering the cultivated and edible plants, a change in agricultural and dietary habits has been evidenced with a shift from a mixture of wild fruits, oil and medicinal plants to a specific collection of cereal species. The plant assemblage studied hence provided valuable insight into the activities of the local community, displaying in particular how a mixed woodland dominated by mesophilous taxa had played a significant role in ritual practices.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
