Pollen evidence and the reconstruction of plant landscape of the Pantanello area from the 7th to the 1st century BC

Archaeopalynology helps to reconstruct cultural landscapes and human impact of the past.In archaeological contexts, the discipline plays an important role in the investigation of ancient human behavior acting on the environment, and cultural aspects of plant exploitation. Although archaeopalynology faces some challenges (e.g., scarcity of suitable deposits, low pollen quantities and bad pollen preservation),comparisons of pollen data from many sites in the Mediterranean area contribute to the understanding of the past development of habitats and vegetation, including the region of Basilicata in southern Italy. In the particular case of the Pantanello Sanctuary, the excavated contexts were submerged underwater, and the anaerobic conditions allowed a remarkable state of preservation of organic material in the deposits. Thanks to these favorable conditions, Pantanello represents a considerable opportunity for drawing thorough palaeo-environmental and economical reconstructions of the territory during its different occupation phases. At Pantanello, the archaeobotanical investigations were carried out with the main purpose of improving knowledge of the past flora of the area and focusing on plants growing in and around the site. The palaeoenvironmental data obtained from this study contribute to the plant landscape reconstruction of the territory of Metaponto during the Greek and Roman occupation.