Soil charcoal analysis at Cecita Lake (Sila Massif, Southern Italy) for understanding environmental changes: climate or human impact?

Pedoanthracology, in association with archaeoanthracology, pedology, geomorphology and geoarchaeology, is an useful tool for environmental reconstruction based on paleosols analysis. A study was carried out in the surrounding of the Cecita Lake (Sila Massif, Southern Italy), applying this multidisciplinary method. Cecita Lake is an artificial lake, located in a tectonic dip filled up, probably since late Early-Middle Pleistocene through Late Pleistocene, by fluvial-lacustrine sediments related to a palaeo-lake. The nowadays forest cover around the lake is dominated by Pinus laricio. In the vicinity of the lake settlements dated to Later Neolithic (3800-3600 BC), to Early Eneolithic (3600-3350 BC) and to Greek (VI–III century BC) and Roman times (III century BC–VI century AD) are documented. The analysis of charcoals coming from the archaeological sites and from the soil has clearly shown the transition from a Quercus deciduous forest, dominanting during the Neolithic, to a Pinus forest during the Roman time. The pedological investigation has indicated a shift from warm and humid conditions to a climate with less seasonal contrast in the temperature rate and at least temporary lower annual rainfall after the late Prehistoric period. This transition probably accompanied the deterioration of the previous vegetation. Soil charcoal analysis, pedological analysis and AMS radiocarbon dating is now applied to other soils excavated in the vicinity of the lake to obtain, in a more detailed chronological frame, information about the causes of the observed environmental change. In this way we would like to understand when the transformation of the cover vegetation happened and, in particular, if this is due to the effects of a climate change which occurred between Neolithic and the Roman Age or, most probably, due to the human impact on this area and the consequent overexploitation of the local forest resources.