Reassessing neolithic subsistence in Northern Italy through a critical review and new evidence from Molino Casarotto

This paper delves into the intricate nature of neolithic subsistence economies in northern Italy by providing a comprehensive overview of all previously edited data, quantitatively compared, including plant macroremains, faunal remains, and aquatic resources. Additionally, it introduces new findings from the site of Molino Casarotto, recently investigated as part of the ERC CoG GEODAP project, through an interdisciplinary approach that combines carpological analysis, phytolith analysis, and archaeozoological studies of both terrestrial and aquatic fauna. This wetland settlement, with material culture fully representative of the middle neolithic Square-Mouthed Pottery (SMP) culture, showcases an economy primarily based on hunting, fishing, gathering molluscs and wild fruits, with water chestnut serving as the staple food. The rare presence of bone remains from domestic animals and a few cereal grains indicates access to food from a agro-pastoral economy. However, the absence of chaff remains, confirmed by phytolith analysis, suggests that cereal cultivation and processing did not occur on site. These findings, within the broader context of the cultural and environmental diversity of the northern Italian Neolithic, challenge the rigidity of concepts often used to describe Neolithization processes. The emerging picture is non-linear and complex, both chronologically and geographically, with local peculiarities that push to abandon a dichotomous view of foraging versus agricultural economy.