Recent palaeobotanical research of cores from wetlands and peat bogs at various altitudes and in various landscape zones provides evidence for significant natural and human-induced changes in the vegetation during the later Holocene. In this workshop we will especially look at the longer term human impacts on the landscapes of South Italy and Sicily linked to population growth and new forms of economic exploitation of the landscape during protohistory and the Greek and Roman periods. The morning program will be dedicated to theory, methodology, case studies and discussion and consists of various brief presentations and discussion slots. The afternoon session will consist of hands-on microscopy work in the laboratory of the Groningen Institute of Archaeology supervised by experts. The workshop will finish with a lecture by achaeobotanist Cristiano Vignola from the Sapienza University, Rome. The program is open to a maximum of 10 research master students and/or PhD students.

Preliminary program

9.30 – 10.00       welcome with coffee

10.00                 start workshop

10.00 – 10.05    welcome by René Cappers

10.05 – 10.15     aims of the workshop by Peter Attema

10.15 – 10.50     Introduction to the NWO / Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam project “Land-use, agriculture, and craft production as indicators for the contributions of Greek migrants and local inhabitants to the so-called Greek colonization in Italy (ca. 800-550 BC)” by Jan Paul Crielaard, Lou Godefroy and Taariq Sheik.

10.50 – 11.25     Introduction to the Raganello and Pollino Archaeological Landscape Projects (University of Groningen and Ghent) by Peter Attema, Arnoud Maurer and Wieke de Neef.

11.25 – 12.00     lecture by René Cappers

12.00 – 12.45     lunch break

12.45 – 15.45     practicum supervised by René Cappers, Arnoud Maurer and Laura Sadori

15.45 – 16.00     tea break

16.00 – 17.00     key lecture by palaeobotanist dr. Cristiano Vignola (Dept. of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome): Vegetation dynamics in southern Italy from the Late Bronze Age to the Roman period: a synthesis from off-site pollen deposits.

17.00 – 18.00     drinks

Assignment: Participants are asked to read chapter 2 “Palynology” of the Handbook of Plant Palaeoecology by R.T.J. Cappers and R. Neef. Participating research master students will be asked to write a review on the content heard and their hands-on experience in the laboratory as well as provide a short evaluation of their participation in this workshop and the knowledge gained (in total min. 1500 words) to be send to secretary@archonline.nl.

Credits: ARCHON members can receive 1 EC if they do the preparatory reading, participate actively during the workshop and hand in the above-mentioned review and evaluation.

Registration: Send an email to p.a.j.attema@rug.nl and mention Archon workshop palynology.