Seeds/fruits data from the "Vasca Superiore di Noceto", an artificial mire of the Bronze Age in the Po Plain (N Italy)

The Noceto wooden basin is an huge structure (12x7 m and about 3,5 m deep) situated in the central Po plain near Parma. Discovered in 2004 and it was studied through several archaeological fields from Soprintendenza dei Beni Archeologici dell’Emilia-Romagna with the collaboration of University of Milan (Bernabò Brea and Cremaschi 2009). This basin was built from the terramara's inhabitants of Noceto during Middle Bronze Age (1650-1350 BC) and was originally filled with water. The waterlogged anoxic deposits and the fill characteristics preserved the structure and many wooden objects. Most remarkable are the remains of four ploughs deposited at the corners of the basin. Furthermore, more than 150 whole or fragmented ceramic vases were found, together with miniature vases and figurines. The position of the structure, the type of depositions and their distribution within the basin suggest ritual activities probably linked to agrarian and water cult (Bernabò Brea and Cremaschi 2009). This condition allowed the good conservation of seeds and fruit remains. ... Ritual practices from Noceto wooden basin are suggested from the different type of evidences recovered. Also, the offers of cereals and fruits were included in the cult activities and the presence of charred remains would indicate the use of fire. The copious amount of chaff remains would suggest deposition of whole spikelets of grain, instead of grains already threshed