The dry stone wall of 'Paretone dei Greci': an anthracological approach

International audience; Dry stone constructions are a common occurrence in many Mediterranean landscapes. One of these structures known as "Paretone dei Greci" (Taranto, Southern Italy), was subject to an archaeological investigation. Soil and sediment material within this wall, as well as those above and below it, were sampled and processed for archaeobotanical studies. In this manner it was possible to understand its building technique as well as giving it a chronological context. Through an anthracological analysis it was possible to insert the "Paretone" within the surrounding agricultural landscape, thus better highlighting its function in relation to the history of the territory

Fuel from late-antiquity smithing earths: a comparison between Lecce and Faragola sites (Puglia-Italy)

Fuel wood use in a lime kiln at Egnathia (South-eastern Italy) during Late Antiquity

Historical biogeography of olive domestication (Olea europaea L.) as revealed by geometrical morphometry applied to biological and archaeological material

Aim  This study intends to improve our understanding of historical biogeography of olive domestication in the Mediterranean Basin, particularly in the north-western area. Location  Investigations were performed simultaneously on olive stones from extant wild populations, extant cultivated varieties from various Mediterranean countries, and archaeological assemblages of Spanish, French and Italian settlements. Methods  A combination of morphometrics (traditional and geometrical) allowed us to study both the size and shape of endocarp structure. Concerning shape, a size-standardized method coupled with fitted polynomial regression analysis was performed. Results  We found morphological criter…