Ricerc@Sapienza

Archaeobotany is the discipline that merges botany with archaeology. It is based on the study of plant fossils
found in archaeological contexts with the aim to reconstruct plant use and diets of ancient populations, as
well as the environment and the climate of the past, focusing on how people have adapted to them and
reacted to their changes. Plant fossils include seeds and fruits (carpology), wood and charcoals (xylology and
anthracology) and pollen (palynology).

Recent excavations by Sapienza University of Rome and the Superintendency of Trapani in the Sanctuary of the Tophet at Motya allowed a full re-appraisal of this important monument of the Phoenician religious culture in the West. The western sector of the sanctuary with Temple T6, possibly devoted to Astarte, was re-excavated and its stratigraphy and plan reconstructed. Building T5 closing the urns field to the west in front of the wells was also re-explored, producing a complete reconstruction of its architecture and stratigraphy.