L’arvicola acquatica europea, Arvicola amphibius (Linnaeus 1758), nuove evidenze dalla Sicilia arcaico-classica, Selinunte (Trapani)

Abstract

The zooarchaeological analyzes carried out on the faunal assemblage from the urban sanctuary on the acropolis of Selinus, allowed the identification of some remains belonging to the water vole, Arvicola amphibius (Linnaeus 1758). Although the Sicilian zooarchaeological record referred to this rodent is scarce, it is possible to cautiously trace the history of its population. Indeed, the Arvicola amphibius has been part of the Sicilian fauna for a relatively brief period, starting from the Final Upper Palaeolithic to the end of Ancient Bronze Age. Therefore, the recent discovery in archaic/classical archaeological contexts (6th-5th century BCE) postpones of almost two millennia the date of extinction of this rodent, providing also fundamental information on the reconstruction of the natural environments surrounding the ancient poleis, as its ecology is closely connected to well-defined habitats such as rivers, canals, expanses of freshwater and brackish ponds