ARCHAEOBOTANY IN URBAN SITES: THE CASE OF MUTINA

Abstract

The present paper aims to show the importance of analyzing plant macroremains from urban excavations. Organic materials preserved below the historical city in waterlogged conditions are a fundamental resource, and the study of seeds and fruits gives a good contribution to historical and archaeological research. Archaeobotany in urban contexts provides important results when the examined material comes from several excavations that "photograph" the territory over quite a long period. An overview of archaeobotanical analyses carried out on material from archaeological sites of Modena (Emilia-Romagna), from the 2^nd century BC to the 6^th century AD, made by the Laboratory of Palynology and Palaeobotany of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, is presented. The floristic list of seed/fruit analyses result is reported and interesting subject matters are tackled concerning both cultivated/cultivable plants (fruits and nuts, vegetables/aromatics/spices/medicinal plants, fibre and oil plants, cereals and pulses, flowers and other ornamental plants) and wild plants of no obvious use, together with wetland plants which are rare and endangered species in Emilia-Romagna today.