Paleoethnobotany of the San Felice Villa Complex, Southern Italy

Abstract

This project examines plant macroremains recovered from anthropogenic features dating to the 1st century A.D. at San Felice, an inland Roman villa site located in Puglia. The 1st century A.D. was a period of great environmental and political stability throughout the entirety of the Italian peninsula. Puglia in particular experienced increased Roman political control and land reorganization during this period culminating in the construction of large agricultural estates. The goal of this research was to evaluate the evidence for production and on-site consumption of agricultural at San Felice and compare these results to similar archaeological contexts in southern Italy. Data from this study provide crucial information on the agricultural component of subsistence of a rural southern Italian villa, as well as evidence for the use of non-domesticated species. Results also suggest interregional interactions linking interior Puglia with Roman, Indigenous southern Italian populations, and the Greek coastal cities of Magna Grecia.