L’ambiente della pianura padana nell’alto medioevo: una rilettura fra storia e archeologia

This paper re-examines the environmental history of the Po Valley during the early Middle Ages, bringing together documentary evidence and archaeological data. It emphasizes the role of forests, wetlands, and river dynamics as fundamental components of the early medieval landscape. These were not untouched spaces but anthropized environments, deeply shaped by silvo-pastoral economies and human strategies of adaptation. Palaeoenvironmental evidence shows resilient ecosystems, balancing anthropic pressure, climatic variability, and rich biodiversity. Archaeozoological analyses reveal the predominance of pigs, the complex role of cattle, and the persistence of wild fauna, confirming the area’s ecological diversity. The Po River emerges as both an ecological corridor and a resource hub, whose exploitation was mediated by public powers and urban communities.