Lo studio multidisciplinare degli accrescimenti antropici dello scavo presso il battistero del Duomo di Padova

Archaeological excavations besides the Baptistery of the cathedral of Padua (north-eastern Italy) unearthed Dark Earth units formed between the 7th and the 10th century AD. These were analysed using soil micromorphology, soil chemical analyses (especially aimed at the definition of organic matter properties and dynamics) and GC/MS analyses of fecal biomarkers, the latter corroborated by Principal Component Analysis. This interdisciplinary study enabled the differentiation between Dark Earth units resulting from in situ accumulation of trampled domestic waste and other, more frequent, units deriving from repeated dumping or backfilling episodes. Fast accumulation of organic-rich domestic waste, coupled with reducing conditions, resulted in an incomplete evolution of organic molecules. This appears as a fundamental formation process of these Dark Earths. The overall level of faecal contamination is low. Nevertheless, the constant presence of herbivore faecal contribution fits well with the "ruralization" of the urban space in the Early Middle Ages.