Reconstruction of ancient climate and human impact on the environment at Motya

Abstract

The paper presents a survey and analysis of published palaeoclimatic data of the Mediterranean for the 1st millennium BC and in particular of the island of Motya, Western Sicily. Combining the results of studies on climate change in the Western Mediterranean, sea-level fluctuations and sea temperature in the Sicilian Channel, and the full range of data from palaeobotanical and vegetation analyses, we try to propose a reconstruction of the ancient climate and environment, in consideration of the human impact