The present study concerns the Phoenician-Punic site of Motya, a small island set in Western Sicily (Italy), in the Marsala Lagoon (Stagnone di Marsala), between Trapani and Marsala. A big disposal pit, datable to between the first half of the 8th and the mid-6th century bc, was identified in Area D. This context was sampled for plant macro-remains through bucket flotation. Palynological treatment and analysis were also performed on soil samples collected from each of the identified filling layers. The combination of the study of macro- and micro-remains has shown to be effective in answering questions concerning introduced food plants and agricultural practices, and native plants, including timber use. Here we investigate if a waste context can provide information about Phoenicians at Motya and their impact on the local plant communities. We found that human diet included cereals (mostly naked wheat), pulses and fruits. A focus was placed on weeds (including Lolium temulentum and Phalaris spp.) referable to different stages of crop processing. This aspect was enriched by the finding of cereal pollen, which suggests that threshing (if not even cultivation) was carried out on site. Palynology also indicates an open environment, with little to no forest cover, characterized by complex anthropogenic activities. Anthracology suggests the presence of typical Mediterranean plant taxa, including not only the shrubs Pistacia lentiscus and Erica multiflora, but also evergreen oaks. The presence of a stone pine nut and of Pinus pinea/pinaster in the pollen rain is noteworthy, suggesting the local occurrence of these Mediterranean pines outside their native distribution range. This represents the first such find in the central Mediterranean. Finally, the present study allows us to compare Motya’s past environment with the present one. The disappearance of Juniperus sp. and Erica arborea from the present-day surroundings of the Marsala lagoon appears to be related to land-overexploitation, aridification or a combination of both processes.

本研究涉及Motya的腓尼基-普尼克遗址，Motya是一个小岛，位于意大利西西里岛（意大利），位于特拉帕尼和马尔萨拉之间的马尔萨拉泻湖（Stagnone di Marsala）中。一个大的废弃坑，可追溯到公元前 8 世纪上半叶和公元前6 世纪中叶之间, 在区域 D 中被识别。通过桶浮选对这种情况进行了采样，以获取植物宏观残留物。还对从每个确定的填充层收集的土壤样品进行了孢粉学处理和分析。宏观和微观遗存研究的结合已证明可以有效回答有关引入的食用植物和农业实践以及本地植物（包括木材使用）的问题。在这里，我们调查废物环境是否可以提供有关 Motya 的腓尼基人及其对当地植物群落的影响的信息。我们发现人类饮食包括谷物（主要是裸麦）、豆类和水果。重点放在杂草上（包括Lolium temulentum和Phalarisspp.) 可参考作物加工的不同阶段。谷物花粉的发现丰富了这一方面，这表明脱粒（即使不进行耕种）均在现场进行。孢粉学还表明一个开放的环境，几乎没有森林覆盖，以复杂的人为活动为特征。王竹民暗示典型的地中海植物种类的存在，不仅包括灌木夏季黄连木和埃里卡野蔷薇，而且四季长青的橡树。石松子的和存在松pinea /海岸松在花粉雨中值得注意，这表明这些地中海松树的本地分布超出了它们的原生分布范围。这是地中海中部的第一个此类发现。最后，本研究使我们能够将 Motya 过去的环境与现在的环境进行比较。杜松属的消失。和埃丽卡 arborea来自当今马尔萨拉泻湖周围的环境，似乎与土地过度开发、干旱化或这两种过程的结合有关。