Archaeobotanical analyses carried out in a Renaissance pit of a tower in the Santi Quattro Coronati complex (Rome) are presented. The plant materials, preserved by mummification through desiccation, are roughly dated between the 15th and 16th centuries. Sieving and a preliminary analysis of two stratigraphic units have been carried out, attesting the presence of 6,000 well-preserved fragments of seeds and fruits. The initial stages of the research have revealed many edible cultivated species, including Pastinaca sativa L. (parsnip), Juglans regia L. (walnut) and Vitis vinifera L. (grape). Written evidences attesting contacts of the Santi Quattro Coronati bishop Lorenzo Pucci with the Americas at the beginning of the 16th century lead to the hypothesis of New World species being present in the deposit. The plant assemblage should give an overview on plant use during the Renaissance in a high-level residence of Rome.
The study of the Santi Quattro Coronati pit would represent an important addition to archaeobotanical studies of Early Modern materials not only in Italy, but in the whole Mediterranean basin, a geographical context which has been so far neglected. Furthermore, the historical framing, along with written evidence of direct contacts with the Americas result in a high probability of finding New World species in the infill of the Santi Quattro Coronati pit.
This would represent a noticeable advancement in both archaeobotanical studies of Early Modern context and in the knowledge of the spread of New World species in the Old World. Few studies have been so far carried out on New World species in Europe (Barbi et. al, Deputazione di Storia Patria per le Antiche Provincie Modenesi, 1998: 225-230; Culíková, Staletá Praha 29, 2014: 64-119) and a lot of the current knowledge of their arrival and spread is based on written (Janick, Acta horticulturae 916, 2011: 93) and iconographic (Caneva, Tradint Service, 1992; Paris et al., 2006) sources.