Renata Perego | Independent Researcher (original) (raw)

Papers by Renata Perego

Archeologia medievale, 2008

Información del artículo Un &amp;#x27;officina per la lavorazione della steatite (X-XII s... more Información del artículo Un &amp;#x27;officina per la lavorazione della steatite (X-XII secolo) ed un granaio carbonizzato (inizi XI) al Monte Castellaro di Groppallo (comune di Farini, media valle del Nure, Piacenza): prima campagna di scavo (2006-2007).

Folk Life, Sep 28, 2014

Research into the past cultural dimensions of plants is often restricted to plants with important... more Research into the past cultural dimensions of plants is often restricted to plants with important uses, cultivated for millennia and ever sought after, and of fundamental meaning to human subsistence and economy. This is defi nitely true for the main cultivated crops of the Old World, and for plants regarded essential for other (e.g. medical) reasons. Bladdernut is defi nitely not one of these 'great' useful plants. Still, this shrub has had a curious past which seemed to us worth investigating, for the beliefs and meanings that still cling to it. As we will see, new beliefs are still developing. Largely building upon the previous detailed work by the fi rst author, 1 the current study pursues the goal of drawing as complete a picture as possible of the cultural relevance of bladdernut in past societies. This has been done by critically evaluating the extant literature on material evidence, written historical sources, and ethnographic studies on Staphylea pinnata across Europe, and trying to suggest new interpretations for this plant. Originally given as a conference paper by the fi rst author listed, the following article has been considerably reworked and now includes substantially more research than previously.

Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, May 1, 2023

Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology

Usually, scholars dealing with modern and past biology of plants develop parallel and overlapping... more Usually, scholars dealing with modern and past biology of plants develop parallel and overlapping researches, sometimes with poor interchanges. A recent study of the genus Carex showed that the existing knowledge about the fossil record is neglected by people dealing with the biology of this genus, almost ignoring the wealth of information poten- tially useful for their studies that is available in several palaeobotanical collections. To overcome this missing communication we present the first step of a project aiming at revising and summarizing the fossil record of taxa recorded in the modern Italian flora. The team of authors has been assembled starting from a group of persons working with fossil records (mainly the BRAIN network) who invited experts of modern floristics to analyse and discuss the palaeobotanical data in the light of the knowledge on the modern flora. The focus is on Italy, because of the exceptionally rich plant fossil record of this country. Furthermore, the Italian record ade- quately covers the last 6 Ma, in a less discontinuous way than in other countries. Such analysis addressed to a national perspective does not preclude an expansion to an Eurasian and global scale; this is true for example when analysing evolutionary and historical bio- geography issues, for which a country-scaled analysis may not be successful. We choose to start this project with Lycopus. This genus has a highly diagnostic morphology of fossilizable parts (nutlets), it has a well-assessed phylogenetic placement and its divergence from the most closely related genera is attributed to relatively deep times. The fossil record of Lycopus is mainly represented by nutlets, that are easily preserved in sedimentary deposits containing scarcely to moderately altered organic matter, and were formed in waterlogged continental palaeoenvironments. The nutlet morphology is considered to provide diagnostic characters for the distinction of the living species. Contrarily, pollen grains are not easily identifiable at the light microscope, thus they are com- monly included in the Mentha type or in the Lamiaceae undifferentiated grains. The genus Lycopus includes approximately 16 species, distributed in the northern Hemisphere and in Australia. In Europe, three species are known: Lycopus europaeus L., L. exaltatus L.f. and L. lucidus Turcz. ex Benth., the latter intro- duced in recent times from eastern Asia. In contrast to the purported \u201clack of a strong fossil record\u201d, several authors reported fossil fruit records in Europe and West Asia: from the oldest ones of the Oligocene (ca. 30 Mya), limited to West Siberia, through the more frequent Miocene (23- 5 Mya) records, ranging from West Siberia to central Europe, to the abundant Pliocene and Pleistocene records (5-0.01 Mya). The last ones were mainly assigned to the modern species L. europaeus, whereas the Oligocene and Miocene records (plus a few Pliocene ones) were assigned to the fossil-species L. antiquus E.M.Reid. The Italian fossil records assigned to Lycopus have been reported in a table, where the localities have been listed alphabetically within selected time intervals. The preliminary analysis of these data suggests that several fossil records dating from 4 Ma to 0.1 Mya show a morphology of the nutlet\u2019s collar which is diagnostic for L. europaeus. The occur- rence of fossil nutlets which possibly refer to L. exaltatus is under investigation for a site dating ca. 1.5-1.3 Ma, while the abundant Holocene records, including some archaeologi- cal sites, are only referred to L. europaeus. The available fossil records firmly demonstrate the long-lasting presence of L. europaeus in Italy and its widespread occurrence in the Holocene. The past occurrence of other exotic or extinct species of Lycopus does not emerge from the fossil record

Harrassowitz Verlag eBooks, 2023

Atti LII Riunione Scientifica "Preistoria e Protostoria in Lombardia e Canton Ticino" IIPP, 2022

Crop cultivation and consumptions preferences in Bronze Age and Iron Age Lombardy - Despite the l... more Crop cultivation and consumptions preferences in Bronze Age and Iron Age Lombardy - Despite the large number of Bronze and Iron Age sites in Lombardy, the available archaeobotanical data are rather poor and discontinuous. The analysis of plant remains preserved in archaeological deposits is still too occasional in Italy and it does not fall into the standard practice of archaeological investigations, although this discipline has gained in recent years much more interest and attention. Usefully, the Bronze Age is documented in Lombardy by a significant array of lacustrine and fluvial settlements where the waterlogged archaeological layers favoured the preservation of plant remains, even not charred. Some of these sites have been the subject of recent multidisciplinary investigations including detailed archaeobotanical ones. This resulted in the identification of new cultivars (e.g. Carthamus tinctorius) and allowed a closer appreciation of the broad spectrum of cultivated crops, particularly cereals. Furthermore, it stressed the importance of some cereal crops, such as the ‘new glume wheat’ (Triticum nn or T. cf timopheevii), which was introduced in Italy in the Neolithic period and gained considerable importance in the Bronze Age. During the Middle Bronze Age, broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum) is a well-established crop and pulses acquire greater importance, despite they are still poorly represented in the carpological record. Iron Age sites yielded only carbonized plant materials. Broomcorn millet and foxtail millet (Setaria italica) are the dominant cereal crops. Either naked wheat or hulled wheat (emmer and einkorn) are abundant at some sites; barley is frequent but not particularly abundant. Spelt and rye appear at some sites as an established crop. Horse bean, lentil, and bitter vetch remarkably increase their presence/frequency in this period confirming the trend towards an increase in pulse cultivation started in the Middle Bronze Age, when these species, even if already present, were never abundant.

During the Bronze Age human communities became more and more complex in their social organization... more During the Bronze Age human communities became more and more complex in their social organization and subsistence economy. A crucial role was played by the production of metal objects, which intensified exchange of goods and established new trade routes, but farming and animal husbandry were still the stronghold of Bronze Age economy. They underwent some innovations such as the introduction of new cultivars (e.g. spelt and millet), the intensification of pulse cultivation and the diffusion of rotation systems. The present research contributed to the reconstruction of the development of plant economy during the Bronze Age, within and in the surroundings of the Alps. A comprehensive archaeobotanical study has been carried out on two of the currently-excavated Bronze Age (Early and Middle Bronze Age phases) lake-dwelling sites (Lavagnone and Lucone D) in the Lake Garda area of northern Italy. The investigation in these sites south of the Alps is crucial to understand the spread of Bron...

Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, 2020

Cores and trenches drilled or dug in religious and secular buildings in the hilltop town of Berga... more Cores and trenches drilled or dug in religious and secular buildings in the hilltop town of Bergamo (northern Italy) were investigated by means of micro/macrobotanical and pedochemical analysis to unravel the cultural vegetation history of the area during ca. seven centuries across the Bronze-Iron Ages. We explore the predictive power of biological proxies, nutrients, and coupled 14 C datings to reveal early phases of human settlement and activity in a modern urban context with low visibility and difficult accessibility. Our records suggest that a farming centre was active on the Bergamo hilltop as early as the 15th century bc. Crop and animal husbandry reached a high point between the 11th-8th century bc. Plant and biogeochemical proxies predict extensive and diversified cereal cropping, flax and grapevine cultivation, as well as herd stalling at a watering pond, free range livestock growing in woodlands, and pastoralism, shown by hay making and overgrazing evidence. The suggestive hypothesis of carding wool is mentioned but is currently untenable. Furthermore, we identified a possible phase of abandonment starting from the 8th century bc, to be further investigated, and in agreement with archaeological data suggesting settlement decline in the 8th-6th century bc. Our research highlights the dedication to pastoralism of the Bergamo hill since prehistoric times. The settlement position was strategic for pastoralists to exploit biological and water resources in space, season and elevation, i.e. from the plain to higher Alpine pastures. Ethnographic examples and Middle Age written sources strongly support this picture.

Valcamonica is known all over the world for the development of rock art between the Lateglacial a... more Valcamonica is known all over the world for the development of rock art between the Lateglacial and the Middle Ages. We present here an updated synthesis on the environmental history of Valcamonica, focussing on the relationships between natural ecosystems, climate and human peopling. Among the natural archives reviewed, a reference is the Pian di Gembro succession, a middle-altitude site offering a chronologically and taxonomically highly-resolved ecological investigation for the last 15.5 cal ka BP. For this site we present quantitative reconstructions of climate parameters obtained from fossil pollen spectra. The deglaciation of the valley floor occurred about 18-17.5 cal ka BP. Remnants of a hut and rock engravings, referred to the Upper Paleolithic, are indication of human groups on the valley floor, possibly related to hunting activities on wild mammals sheltering in newlyestablished pine and larch forests. Lowering of the timberline and expansion of xerophytic formations affe...

ZUSAMMENFASSUNG: Getreide gehoren weltweit zu den wichtigsten Grundnahrungsmitteln. Trotzdem ist ... more ZUSAMMENFASSUNG: Getreide gehoren weltweit zu den wichtigsten Grundnahrungsmitteln. Trotzdem ist wenig daruber bekannt, in welcher Form sie in vorgeschichtlicher Zeit konsumiert wurden. Das am IPNA durchgefuhrte Arbeitstreffen brachte deshalb internationale Experten und Expertinnen von botanischen Makroresten (Samen, Fruchte usw.), Mikroresten ( Starkekorner und Phytolithen) sowie Gebrauchsspuren und Morphotechnologie von Mahlwerkzeugen zusammen. Der vorliegende Artikel prasentiert eine Zusammen fassung der gehaltenen Vortrage und gibt einen Uberblick uber den Forschungsstand sowie uber die grosse Vielfalt an Getreidespeisen, welche aus ethnografischen Quellen bekannt ist. Er will vermitteln, wie solche Reste sachgerecht geborgen werden und wo die Forschungslucken am grossten sind. In Zukunft sollten einheitliche Kriterien fur die Untersuchung von Getreideprodukten erarbeitet und eine Datenbank der Inhalte und der strukturellen Eigenschaften solcher Reste aufgebaut werden. SUMMARY: ...

Scientific Reports, 2020

Broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) is not one of the founder crops domesticated in Southwest... more Broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) is not one of the founder crops domesticated in Southwest Asia in the early Holocene, but was domesticated in northeast China by 6000 bc. In Europe, millet was reported in Early Neolithic contexts formed by 6000 bc, but recent radiocarbon dating of a dozen 'early' grains cast doubt on these claims. Archaeobotanical evidence reveals that millet was common in Europe from the 2nd millennium bc, when major societal and economic transformations took place in the Bronze Age. We conducted an extensive programme of AMS-dating of charred broomcorn millet grains from 75 prehistoric sites in Europe. Our Bayesian model reveals that millet cultivation began in Europe at the earliest during the sixteenth century bc, and spread rapidly during the fifteenth/fourteenth centuries bc. Broomcorn millet succeeds in exceptionally wide range of growing conditions and completes its lifecycle in less than three summer months. Offering an additional harvest and...

We're asking all students and all clubs, all unions and the workers to come out on July 14, [1972... more We're asking all students and all clubs, all unions and the workers to come out on July 14, [1972] to ask that land rights be recognised. Briefly land rights means: a claim that all Aboriginal reserves be immediately deeded in perpetuity to the Aboriginal people as a whole. Kevin Gilbert-call to rally at the Canberra Tent Embassy on what was National Aborigines Day, (quoted in Tatz 1975) That 'real' land rights means more than simply returning title to existing reserves. It involves the granting of title to substantial areas of land in NSW.

Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology

Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 2015

ABSTRACT We present a paleoenvironmental reconstruction for the mountain fringe between the South... more ABSTRACT We present a paleoenvironmental reconstruction for the mountain fringe between the South-Eastern Alps and the Northern Dinarides (NE-Italy/W-Slovenia) during the Last Glacial Maximum. We focused on a new sedimentary and paleoecological archive spanning the LGMacme, located in an aggrading, permanently flooded and ponded plain, dammed by an active fluvioglacial megafan. The ecosystem reconstruction, based on two high resolution pollen records, is supported by a rich plant macrofossil flora and constrained by a robust radiocarbon chronology between 26 and 22 cal ka BP. We show evidence for persistence of boreal trees and of different open boreal forest types throughout the LGM at the south-eastern mountain fringe of the Alps and the Northern Dinarides. Fire frequency is responsible for high, oscillating forest openness. The paleobotanical record is discussed in the light of the ecogeographic diversity of the region. A belt formed by Swiss stone pine, larch and dwarf mountain pine on limestone bedrock, and accompanied by Spruce in the floodplain, extended uphill, while proximal outwash plain supported Scots pine and dwarf mountain pine. These differences arise from groundwater regimes rather than from local climate variability. A steep moisture gradient from the semiarid pedoclimatic regime prevailing in the Adriatic alluvial plain to the forested mountain fringe is related to the orographic rainout triggered by southern air circulation.Mesophytic broad-leaved forest trees did not withstand the LGM temperature extremes in zonal ecosystems at the Alpine–Dinaric fringe; however, the fossil evidence suggests a number of microrefugia in karstic and thermal spring habitats of the northern Adriatic.