Reconstruction of Holocene environmental changes in two archaeological sites of Calabria (Southern Italy) using an integrated pedological and anthracological approach

This paper focuses on the reconstruction of Holocene climatic and environmental changes in twoarchaeological sites of southwestern and north-central Calabria (southern Italy). It is based ona comparison of geoarchaeological, pedological and pedoanthracological data from soil profiles in thecoastal hilly and inland mountainous surroundings of Palmi and Cecita Lake, respectively. At the Palmisite, the representative soil profile includes settlements and artefacts ranging from late Neolithic to lateearly Bronze Age and undifferentiated historical epochs. The archaeological record of soils at Cecita spansfrom late Neolithic/early Eneolithic to Roman ages. At both sites, surface A horizons are affected byrepeated plough marks. All soils display some Andisol-like features, related to some volcanic inputduring soil formation originating from late Pleistocene to Holocene explosive eruptions of the AeolianIslands. The occurrence of clay coatings, their relict nature and overall dominant phyllosilicate clayminerals in the Neolithic soil horizons of both sites, suggest warm climate conditions with high moistureavailability and some seasonal contrast, during the late early-middle Holocene climatic optimum. Thepost-Neolithic soils show comparable or more abundant amounts of short-range order minerals thanphyllosilicates, and no to scarce clay coatings. These features indicate a transition towards (probablycooler) prolonged humid conditions, intercalated by one or more drought episodes. Severe land degradationis recorded between these major climatic phases, indicated by human impact (deforestation andagriculture) and soil erosion. Soil charcoal analysis from Cecita soils provide evidence of these anthropogenicenvironmental changes, as indicated by the dominance of deciduous oak forest in Neolithic soils,followed by a transition to a mountain pine forest recorded in the Roman soils. A deciduous oak forestcharacterizes the vegetation at Palmi from the Neolithic onward.