Hanging around or moving on up? Multi-proxy perspectives on Bronze Age sheep/goats herding practices in the north-eastern Po Plain (northern Italy) Maria Sofia Manfrin, Rosalind E. Gillis, Federico Polisca, Emily Holt, Francesco Breglia, Silvia D'Aquino, Angela L. Lamb, Richard Madgwick, Marc-Alban Millet, Alexandra J. Nederbragt, Cristiano Nicosia, Giorgio Piazzalunga, Keira Shaw-Eleazar, Marta Dal Corso Quaternary Science Reviews, 2026 During the Middle Bronze Age, farming settlements covered much of the Po Plain, but little is known about their herding strategies, e.g. in terms of mobility and foddering. According to faunal data and archaeological materials, herding practices focused on sheep husbandry for multiple products, including wool. Meanwhile, transhumance, involving the movement of flocks from the plain to the upland pastures, has been proposed to emerge during this period, but direct evidence for this practice is scant. To fill these gaps, we employed multiple isotope analyses of faunal remains embedded within palynological, archaeobotanical and micromorphological analyses to uncover sheep husbandry practices at two Middle Bronze Age sites (Oppeano 4D, La Muraiola di Povegliano Veronese) near Verona, northern Italy. These settlements have both stratigraphic evidence of animal penning investigated through high resolution multi-proxy geoarchaeological and archaeobotanical methods. Incremental carbon, oxygen and strontium analysis of sheep molars embedded within a bulk δ 13 C/δ 15 N framework from domesticated and wild species indicates that transhumance was not practised at either site. Instead, we demonstrate the seasonal exploitation of local environments for pasturing animals with strong indications for the collection of plant resources for livestock (leafy-hay, grass hay) including the use of C 4 plants as cattle feed. This practice of fodder collection may have been an important step in the evolution of herding practices, as it allowed herds to remain within the local area and, at the same time, showing incipient pressure that might have led to the development of more mobile strategies. • Multi-isotope analysis reveals sheep/goat husbandry practices at 2 northern ItalianMBA sites. • No isotopic evidence ( δ 13 C, δ 18 O, 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) for transhumance at these sites. • Seasonal exploitation of local environments for pasturing animals. • Bulk δ 13 C/ δ 15 N framework from domesticated and wild species. • Strong evidence for fodder collection; C 4 plants possibly used for cattle.
Forests, pastures, and furnaces in the south-eastern Alps: the Mid-Late Holocene palaeoenvironmental record of Lake Caldonazzo Giorgio Piazzalunga, Marta Dal Corso, Maela Baldan, Mara Bortolini, Dario Battistel, Ingo Feeser, Emanuele Farinini, Riccardo Leardi, Jesper Olsen, Federico Polisca, Michele Cupitò, Marco Avanzini, Cristiano Nicosia Anthropocene, 2026 Drawing on the Lake Caldonazzo sedimentary record (Valsugana, Italy), this study reconstructs palaeoecological dynamics from the 6 th to 1 st millennium BCE, revealing the environmental imprint of pre-protohistoric copper mining in the south-eastern Alps. Integrating bio- and geochemical proxies (micro-botanical data, micro-charcoal, faecal biomarkers, and trace elements) we reconstruct the interplay between environmental dynamics and anthropogenic impacts from the Neolithic to the beginning of Iron Age. During the Middle Holocene, pristine silver fir-beech forests dominated the landscape, with incipient Neolithic human influence evidenced by pastoral indicators despite the absence of known settlements in the valley. Copper Age forest decline resulted from climate-induced cooling interacting with agropastoral activity expansion. During the Early and Middle Bronze Age, human impact on mountain ecosystems increased with the integrated development of farming, forest exploitation, and pastoral activities, while early geochemical signals raise the possibility of incipient local metallurgy during the advanced Middle Bronze Age. The Recent-Final Bronze Age marked a metallurgical apex, as evidenced by a surge in the heavy metal enrichment factor and micro-charcoal peaks, corroborating the current archaeological interpretative model. The latter saw the south-eastern Trentino as a continental-scale production hub before environmental degradation and resource depletion marked its end between the 2 nd and 1 st millennium BCE. Land use reactivation became evident during the subsequent territorial reorganisation of the Early Iron Age. Notably, the Löbben and Göschenen 1 climatic oscillation modulated but did not override anthropic pressures. The study demonstrates that pre-protohistoric communities triggered significant environmental impacts (e.g., deforestation, erosion, heavy metal pollution), underscoring the ecological consequences of resource exploitation within sensitive Alpine ecosystems.
Cooking, cleaning, and tossing: high-resolution analysis of domestic activities at the Mid-Neolithic site of Molino Casarotto (Vicenza, NE Italy) Cristiano Nicosia, Gregorio Dal Sasso, Federico Polisca Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 2026 The Middle Neolithic lakeshore site of Molino Casarotto (4700 - 4400 cal BCE; Vicenza province, northern Italy) preserves some of the most informative deposits related to Neolithic daily life in Italy. The organisation and use of space within the Neolithic domestic contexts remain poorly understood, largely due to the limited preservation of archaeological evidence. At Molino Casarotto, however, these aspects can be explored thanks to the presence of domestic hearth rake-out layers and shell middens, which form substantial accumulations interdigitating with repeatedly renovated cooking plates. Several heated stones were recovered in association with these combustion structures. High-resolution sediment analyses (micromorphology, micro-FTIR, and XRD) allowed for the characterisation of the sediments used to construct the cooking plates, the reconstruction of combustion temperatures, and gave insights into mollusc cooking techniques. In particular, the discarded shells were likely boiled or roasted at low temperatures (< 200 °C), as indicated by the absence of microstructural alterations and the preservation of aragonite, possibly using heated stones. In contrast, thermally altered shells embedded in ash layers suggest exposure to post-depositional heating events. Eventual isotopic analyses should therefore take into account the taphonomic history of the specimens, as differential preservation may occur even across short distances. Finally, although structural remains at the site were limited, microarchaeological evidence indicates that the cooking plates were used within a sheltered area characterised by rapid and continuous sediment accumulation, with no evidence of abandonment. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12520-025-02353-w.
Reassessing neolithic subsistence in Northern Italy through a critical review and new evidence from Molino Casarotto Francesco Breglia, Vito Giuseppe Prillo, Marta Dal Corso, Maria Sofia Manfrin, Silvia D’Aquino, Federico Polisca, Luigi Germinario, Giorgio Piazzalunga, Paola Salzani, Cristiano Nicosia Scientific Reports, 2025 This paper delves into the intricate nature of neolithic subsistence economies in northern Italy by providing a comprehensive overview of all previously edited data, quantitatively compared, including plant macroremains, faunal remains, and aquatic resources. Additionally, it introduces new findings from the site of Molino Casarotto, recently investigated as part of the ERC CoG GEODAP project, through an interdisciplinary approach that combines carpological analysis, phytolith analysis, and archaeozoological studies of both terrestrial and aquatic fauna. This wetland settlement, with material culture fully representative of the middle neolithic Square-Mouthed Pottery (SMP) culture, showcases an economy primarily based on hunting, fishing, gathering molluscs and wild fruits, with water chestnut serving as the staple food. The rare presence of bone remains from domestic animals and a few cereal grains indicates access to food from a agro-pastoral economy. However, the absence of chaff remains, confirmed by phytolith analysis, suggests that cereal cultivation and processing did not occur on site. These findings, within the broader context of the cultural and environmental diversity of the northern Italian Neolithic, challenge the rigidity of concepts often used to describe Neolithization processes. The emerging picture is non-linear and complex, both chronologically and geographically, with local peculiarities that push to abandon a dichotomous view of foraging versus agricultural economy.
Multiproxy analysis of stabling layers in four middle bronze age byre-houses from the site of Oppeano 4D (Verona, Italy) C. Nicosia, M. Dal Corso, S. D’Aquino, M. Baldan, M. Bortolini, D. Battistel, F. Polisca Plos One, 2025 Eight juxtaposed structures dating to the Middle Bronze Age (1650–1550 cal BCE) were exposed during rescue archaeological work in Oppeano (Veneto region, NE Italy). The site, named ‘Oppeano 4D’, was waterlogged and, as such, exhibited exceptional preservation of organic materials, including wooden structural remains and plant remains in the internal accretion deposits within each structure. In the present article, the internal stratifications of four such huts have been studied by means of a multi-disciplinary protocol including soil micromorphology and micro-XRF mapping, the study of botanical macro-remains, palynology, and the analysis of faecal biomarkers through GC-MS. Geoarchaeological and geochemical methods allowed to define deposit components necessary for the interpretation of the botanical records. The analyses revealed that the Oppeano structures are in fact byre-houses, where small herbivores were penned and in which other domestic activities, such as cereal processing by means of fire and food preparation, took place. Analyses also revealed that the floodplain offered several different natural environments for pastures and the collection of hay and litter for animal herding. These included the wetlands surrounding the site, the ruderal areas close to cultivated fields and settlement, and mixed deciduous mesophilous and hygrophilous woodlands. The carpological record showed a marked contrast among charred remains, pertaining to food processing, and uncharred seeds, fruits, buds, and twigs that derive from herbivore dung and fodder/bedding material. The palynological record reflects this dichotomy between activities related to human diet and animal penning that took place inside the structures and further revealed traces of natural environments used for pastures.
Phosphatic crusts as macroscopic and microscopic proxies for identifying archaeological animal penning areas Federico Polisca, Marta Dal Corso, Maela Baldan, Mara Bortolini, Dario Battistel, Gregorio Dal Sasso, Francesca Gherardi, Matthew Canti, Giorgio Piazzalunga, Cristiano Nicosia Journal of Archaeological Science, 2025 This study introduces new macroscopic and microscopic evidence for identifying archaeological animal penning areas: phosphatic crusts. Despite the importance of herding activities for reconstructing the social, economic, and ecological aspects of ancient communities, evidence for animal penning areas has traditionally relied on faint architectural traces or microscopic indicators that are often challenging to identify in the field. By employing a multidisciplinary approach that combines field observations, geoarchaeology, lipid biomarker, and microbotanical analyses, this research examines the phosphatic crusts recently identified at the Middle Bronze Age (1650-1300 BCE) site of La Muraiola di Povegliano (Verona, north-eastern Italy). The analyses uncover the processes behind phosphatic crust formation, highlighting the key role of the concentration of animal ejecta in the cementation of the deposit by nanocrystalline partially carbonated hydroxylapatite. This multi-proxy approach further demonstrates that phosphatic crusts serve as crucial archives for investigating the use of space, livestock management (e.g., free grazing/confinement, livestock species, foddering), and human-animal-environment interactions. • Phosphatic crusts can be a reliable macroscopic indicator for livestock penning areas. • Livestock penning can form cemented deposits of partially carbonated hydroxylapatite. • Mineralisation of organic remains occurs rapidly after deposition. • Phosphatised deposits are significant archaeobotanical archives in well-drained contexts. • Guidelines for field identification and handling of phosphatic crusts are provided.
