Overview

The book is the result of a three-year investigation on the Aeolian Islands, a volcanic archipelago consisting of seven islands in north-eastern Sicily, Italy. The author provides new information on the use of vegetal resources and exploitation of the insular landscape by human communities between the end of the third and the end of the second millennium BC. Archaeological data from the widely explored Bronze Age hut villages of Filo Braccio, Filicudi and Acropolis, Lipari are examined through the lens of archaeobotanical and paleoenvironmental data, to produce carrying capacity evaluation and propose new paleodemographic estimations. In particular, the diachronic analysis of wood architectural features and agricultural techniques highlights the possible reliance of the archipelago on external resources during some chronological phases. This monograph adds to our broader understanding of island archaeology and demographics of prehistoric communities, offering a new method for interpreting and using archaeobotanical data.

Full Product Details

Author:   Claudia Speciale
Publisher:   BAR Publishing
Imprint:   BAR Publishing
Weight:   0.694kg
ISBN:  

9781407357980

ISBN 10:   1407357980
Pages:   174
Publication Date:   29 October 2021
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Available To Order  
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Table of Contents

Acknowledgements List of Figures List of Tables Riassunto 1. Introduction and aims 2. Islands and human settlements: a state-of-the-art theoretical approach 2.1. Island archaeology 2.2. Island archaeobotany 2.3. Palaeodemography in archaeology 2.3.1. Introduction 2.3.2. Artefact assemblages 2.3.3. Food remains 2.3.4. Carrying capacity and resource potential model or production system 2.3.5. Architectural features such as roofed-over space 2.3.6. Calculations of mean family size 2.3.7. Areas of the settlements and regional occupation 2.3.8. Specific features of island palaeodemography 2.4. For an integrated approach to the Aeolian Islands: methodology 3. Contextual framework 3.1. The regional setting: a brief synopsis of the physical, geological and historical framework 3.2. The local ecological setting 3.3. The archaeological framework 3.3.1. The Bronze Age in the Aeolian Islands 3.3.2. The villages of Filo Braccio and Montagnola 3.3.3. The sites of Lipari, Acropolis and Contrada Diana 3.4. The archaeobotanical dataset 4. Case study and results: Filicudi 4.1. Archaeobotanical data from Filo Braccio village 4.1.1. Wood charcoals 4.1.2. Seeds/fruits 4.1.3. Spatial distribution 4.2. Functional analysis: the case study of Hut F 4.3. Other analyses 4.3.1. Soil properties and geomorphological features 4.3.2. Isotope analysis 4.3.3. Archaeozoological analyses 4.3.4. Archaeometric analyses 4.4. Palaeodemographic models 4.4.1. The settlements and the archaeological data 4.4.2. Local resources and carrying capacity 5. Case study and results: Lipari 5.1. Archaeobotanical data from Lipari 5.1.1. Wood charcoals 5.1.2. Seeds and fruits 5.1.3. Reconstruction of the distribution 5.2. Distribution of the samples and interpretation: the case study of Acropolis 5.3. Other analyses 5.3.1. Soil properties and geomorphological features 5.3.2. Isotope analysis 5.3.3. Archaeozoological analysis 5.3.4. Archaeometric analysis 5.4. Palaeodemographic models 5.4.1. The settlements and the archaeological data 5.4.2. Local resources and carrying capacity 6. Discussion: towards a palaeodemographic model 6.1. Some remarks on methodology 6.2. Areas of the settlements and regional occupation 6.3. Human impact on the landscape and use of the local resources 6.4. Use of wooden resources and architectural techniques 6.5. Food production and carrying capacity 6.6. Diachronic perspective on the occupation of the archipelago and the use of resources 7. Conclusions 7.1. A global evaluation of the human-environmental data on the archipelago 7.2. Human dynamics and use of the resources: some forethoughts in the comparison with Southern Italy during the Bronze Age 7.3. A comprehensive reconstruction for the Bronze Age: the palaeodemographic model References

Reviews

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{\rtf1\ansi\ansicpg1252\deff0\deflang2057{\fonttbl{\f0\fswiss\fprq2\fcharset0 Calibri;}{\f1\fnil\fcharset0 Verdana;}} \viewkind4\uc1\pard\sb100\sa120\sl276\slmult1\f0\fs22\lquote All scholars studying Mediterranean prehistory and ancient civilizations in general will be interested in this research.\rquote \lang1034 Dr Assunta Florenzano, Universit\'e0 degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia\par \pard\lang2057\f1\fs17\par }

Author Information

Claudia Speciale is an archaeobotanist with a particular interest in island archaeology and paleoecological studies. Her research focuses on prehistoric Sicily and the surrounding small volcanic islands. During her post-doctoral research she developed a new investigation of Ustica island and its early human colonization.

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