Comunità umane e piante in Sicilia: una lunga (prei)storia.

HUMAN AND PLANT COMMUNITIES IN SICILY: A LONG (PREHI)STORY - The human exploitation of plant re-sources dates back to the Palaeolithic and the first human presence on the island. Archaeobotanical analyses and the study of plant remains coming from archaeological contexts represent the main direct source to study the human-environment dynamics. Therefore, in order to understand the history of human communities in Sicily and on the circum-Sicilian islands their relationship with local vegetation should be considered. Sicily represents a key area of the Mediterranean, not only for its geographical position, but also for its diversity of ecosystems, the vast and complex cultural heritage and historical rich-ness. Starting from the available data, we present a review of archaeobotanical studies on the largest island of the Mediterra-nean from the end of the Pleistocene to the present day, with a particular focus on the millennia between the Neolithic and the Late Iron Age (6000-700 BC). Unfortunately, this is still a rather fragmentary picture, with some phases and areas that have been better studied, such as the Bronze Age in the Aeolian Islands. Through the material data, it is then possible to re-trace some of the crucial stages of prehistory, such as the introduction and exploitation of the first plant species during the Neolithic, the evolution of cultivation techniques and the exploitation of forest resources between the Neolithic and the Copper age, the birth and development of extensive agriculture and fruit tree culture in the Bronze Age, up to the introduc-tion of new species and the change of economy during the Phoenician-Punic and Greek colonization phases.