Human impact at Lago di Mezzano (central Italy) during the Bronze Age: a multidisciplinary approach

The purpose of this contribution is to disentangle climate forcing and human influence in the catchment of Lago di Mezzano through the interfingering of data obtained by means of archaeological, geomorphological, sedimentological and palynological approaches. A systematic archaeological survey has been undertaken and three submerged settlement areas with piles, pottery and metal tools have so far been found. The artifacts indicate that the site was inhabited, although not continuously, during the Bronze Age. Geomorphological investigations and observations in some trenches dug out on the lake shore indicate that great variations in the lake's size and strong changes in the catchment/lake surface area ratio occurred during the second half of the Holocene. Palynological, micro-charcoal, sedimentological and geochemical analyses carried out on long cores taken from the lake centre have indicated environmental changes due to either climatic influence or human impact. Even if human presence in the area has been detected during the whole Bronze Age period, the human populations caused a strong impact only in two periods centred around 3600 and 3200 cal. years BP when they settled along the lake shore, and around 3400 cal. years BP when they caused an increase in erosion leading to the beginning of the deposition of turbidites. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA. All rights reserved.