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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Francesco CarrerORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© 2026 The Authors.Understanding how human activities transformed wetland ecosystems during the Neolithic requires the integration of palaeoecological records operating at different spatial scales. This study reconstructs the biodiversity and vegetation history of the Palù di Livenza basin, at the foothill of the Cansiglio Plateau in the Prealps (NE Italy), by integrating palaeoecological and archaeological evidence from both on-site and off-site contexts. On-site data derive from the Late Neolithic pile-dwelling settlement, with particular focus on a stratigraphic sequence from Sector 3, an area investigated archaeologically between 2013 and 2021, while off-site information derives from a sediment core retrieved within the basin. The combination of these records provides complementary perspectives: the site sequence documents local environmental modifications directly associated with human activities, whereas the basin core offers a broader framework of regional vegetation dynamics. By integrating palynological, archaeological, and geomorphological data, we trace the development and transformations of the Palù di Livenza basin in relation to the Neolithic settlement and examine their responses to climatic and human-driven changes. New data from on-site record of Sector 3 is compared with off-site sequence to highlight differences and assess the spatial extent of human impact. We also propose a novel workflow for generating land cover suitability maps from pollen data, providing a transferable methodological framework for linking palaeoecological reconstructions with spatial modelling. This integrated approach offers new insights into human-environment interactions and long-term landscape dynamics in Neolithic wetland settings.
Author(s): Zappa J, Mercuri AM, Vinci G, Fontana A, Carrer F, Micheli R, Florenzano A
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Quaternary Science Reviews
Year: 2026
Volume: 388
Print publication date: 15/09/2026
Online publication date: 10/06/2026
Acceptance date: 20/05/2026
Date deposited: 23/06/2026
ISSN (print): 0277-3791
ISSN (electronic): 1873-457X
Publisher: Elsevier Ltd
URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2026.110075
DOI: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2026.110075
Data Access Statement: A link to the data and/or code is provided as part of this submission
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