Articles by Anna Maria Mercuri

This paper presents the first integrated palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of the Malafede Pool, a temporary freshwater wetland located within the Presidential Estate of Castelporziano (Rome, central Italy), based on the interdisciplinary analysis of sedimentary, geomorphological, chronological and palynological data from sediment core CPZ2. Temporary pools represent highly sensitive environmental archives, where hydrological variability, sedimentary processes and vegetation dynamics interact at local and landscape scales, yet their long-term evolution remains poorly documented in Mediterranean coastal contexts. The stratigraphic sequence records the transition from high-energy Pleistocene alluvial deposits to fine-grained Holocene sediments deposited under persistently hydromorphic conditions. Five AMS radiocarbon dates, three of which were retained, constrain the analysed portion of the core between ca. 5004 BC and 1554 AD, indicating substantial depositional continuity throughout the Middle and Late Holocene. The age-depth model further reveals variable sedimentation rates along the profile, with slower accumulation in certain intervals, reflecting fluctuations in local depositional dynamics. Palynological analyses, including pollen and fern spores, reveal high floristic richness and variable pollen concentrations across four pollen zones, reflecting changing environments and hydrological regimes. Overall, the results highlight the value of temporary pools as coherent and sensitive palaeoenvironmental archives and provide a robust framework for future comparisons with archaeological evidence and additional cores from the Castelporziano estate, contributing to a more integrated understanding of long-term landscape transformations in the Roman coastal plain.

The reconstruction of the main features of the past landscape surrounding the archaeological site of Roselle-Salica during the Etruscan, Roman, and Medieval periods was achieved through targeted stratigraphic sampling and detailed palynological analyses. The archaeopalynological research carried out for this study included field surveys and pollen sampling, stratigraphic descriptions, and laboratory palynological analyses. Interpretation was developed through the integration of geomorphological, chronological, archaeological, floristic, and vegetation data. The pollen samples from test excavations 1000 and 2000 (pollen series T10 and T20) made it possible to document generally low woodland cover, the widespread distribution of heathlands, the presence of wet environments and Mediterranean elements, thus delineating a partially anthropogenic landscape characterised by limited cereal cultivation and more extensive areas used for grazing. The environmental reconstruction, defining forest-cover transformation and specific landscape features, is also discussed in relation to occupational phases and land use by the populations inhabiting the area within the chronological framework of the project.