Plant gathering and cultivation in prehistoric Tuscany (Italy)

In Italy, traces of plants in foodstuffs during the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic are generally scanty, and Tuscany is no exception to this general pattern. However, a recent archaeobotanical study in Northern Tuscany added new information regarding the use of wild plants, ca. 25,000 years ago. During the Neolithic, the beginning of agricultural practices is shown by the sudden appearance and abundance of different cereals. We can hypothesize that the higher fitness of the less productive species of Triticum in microclimates of this region is the reason why these varieties persisted even after the introduction of the high production varieties. In Tuscany, the archaeobotanical Bronze Age storages are characterized by an increasing assortment of cultivated plants, particularly legumes. These plants appear to play an ever more important role in the diet of the local people throughout the Iron Age. The Etruscan diet is an example of the selective use of pulses. Recent excavations near Florence brought to light a probable food storage pit with well-preserved archaeobotanical remains, and offered the opportunity to integrate the results of pollen, seed and fruit analyses. Throughout the ages, the practice of gathering wild fruits and seeds was never abandoned. For instance, the use of cornel (Cornus mas) drupes is known from the Neolithic to the Iron Age and later. A special consideration is reserved for Vitis, a plant which was part of the local vegetation before human settlement in the territory. First traces of Vitis use come from the Northern coastal area where high pollen percentages were interpreted as the result of management practices favouring grapevines. Grapevine pips recovered in many Tuscan archaeological sites (Neolithic – Bronze Age – Iron Age) testify to the use of this plant in the diet although no archaeological evidence hints to a precocious winemaking activity. The morphology of the recovered pips varies in time, suggesting the appearance and the contemporary presence of different grapevine varieties. With the aim to clarify the genetic correlation between these different varieties, DNA analyses on grapevine pips from the different archaeological sites will be performed. Finally, all archaeobotanical investigations suggest a long-lasting diffusion of wetlands in Tuscany correlated to a human exploitation of the territory for agricultural practices.