223 Multidisciplinary study of Holocene soils in the archaeological sites of Cecita Lake (Sila Massif, Calabria, Italy): paleoenvironmental reconstruction TERESA PELLE (*), FABIO SCARCIGLIA (*), GAETANO ROBUSTELLI (*), EMILIA ALLEVATO (**), GAETANO DI PASQUALE (**), DOMENICO MARINO (°) (*) UNIVERSITÀ DELLA CALABRIA, DIPARTIMENTO DI SCIENZE DELLA TERRA, VIA P. BUCCI – CUBO 15B, 87036 ARCAVACATA DI RENDE (CS) (**) LABORATORIO DI STORIA DELLA VEGETAZIONE E ANATOMIA DEL LEGNO, UNIVERSITÀ DI NAPOLI “FEDERICO II”, DIPARTIMENTO DI ARBORICOLTURA, BOTANICA E PATOLOGIA VEGETALE, VIA UNIVERSITÀ 100, 80055 PORTICI (NA) (°) SOPRINTENDENZA PER I BENI ARCHEOLOGICI DELLA CALABRIA, UFFICIO TERRITORIALE DELLA SILA, VIA RISORGIMENTO 121, 88900 CROTONE Key words: Charcoal analysis, Geoarchaeology, Holocene, Paleoenvironments, Volcanic soils. Introduction Wide interest is recently growing on Holocene paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental variability, based on the time proximity and continuity with modern climatic changes and crucial questions about role of natural and anthropogenic forcing also in a perspective of prediction of forthcoming scenarios. Moreover, Holocene paleoclimatic reconstruction is gaining a deeper potential of investigation thanks to rapid improvement of high-resolution multi-proxy techniques. In this framework the present study deals with an integrated geomorphological, stratigraphical, pedological, paleobotanical and archaeological approach to characterize some archaeological sites excavated in the area around Cecita Lake (Sila Massif, Calabria, southern Italy). Sila uplands have been so far widely characterized in terms of late Quaternary geomorphological evolution and paleoclimatic/paleoenvironmental reconstruction (e.g. SCARCIGLIA et alii, 2005; 2008). Here we focus on the natural context and possible effects of late prehistoric to historical human settlements on it. Data and discussion The landscape consists of a staircase of gently rolling planation surfaces that surround an intermountain tectonic depression where Cecita Lake is located. The paleo- Cecita basin infilling is characterized by wide, middle to late Pleistocene fluvio- lacustrine terraces shaped on lacustrine clays alternated with silt, sand and fine gravel. The main vegetation is made of grassland used for grazing and cultivated fields (wheat and potatoes), beech (Fagus sylvatica) and oak forest (Quercus cerris) and especially high mountain belt conifers dominated by pine (Pinus laricio) and fir (Abies alba). The latter are the result of recent reforestation policies promoted during the last half century (COSTANTINI, 1993), coupled with progressive renaturalization. Human colonization along lake shores spans from late Neolithic (3800-3600 BC) to early Eneolithic (3600- 3350 BC), Greek (6 th to 3 rd century BC) to Roman Republican and Imperial ages (3 rd – 1 st century BC to 5 th – 6 th century AD, respectively). In particular, several prehistoric Scienze Naturali e archeologia ISBN 978-88-548-3525-2 DOI 10.4399/978885483525240 p. 223-227 (febbraio 2012)