Medieval landscapes of Corsica: Farming and cultural practices and environments as evidenced by an anthracological study of three archaeological castellated sites (Rostino, Contudine and L’Ortolo)

Abstract

The medieval landscapes of Corsica are still poorly known because written sources are scarce and few anthracological analyses have been carried out. Medieval rescue archaeology is little developed in the island. The programmed excavations mainly focus on castra – castellated sites grouped and fortified from the year 1000 and designed to shelter the inermes in the protective shade of the manorial tower. However, Corsica is of major paleoecological interest: it is a mountain seated in the middle of the sea where altitudinal vegetation changes are very rapid, and its granitic and volcanic origin has led to the development of silicicolous vegetation. The anthracological analyses carried out on the castra of Contudine, Rostino and L’Ortolo offer the possibility of reconstructing their woody environment and sometimes their evolution between the 13th and 15th centuries. They also lead to a better understanding of the practices linked to firewood or timber collection. In this perspective, new tools such as anthraco-entomology or quantitative eco-anatomy bring a decisive contribution: the way in which wood was collected for the domestic hearth is better understood, and the results highlight that fruit crops – which were enriched by new species – clearly increased at the end of the Middle Ages.