La Tene and Gallo-Roman natural environments and human impact at the Touffreville rural settlement, reconstructed from Coleoptera and plant macroremains (Calvados, France)

The archaeological site of the Touffreville rural settlement (Calvados, Fra nce) has yielded rich assemblages of Coleoptera and plant macroremains dati ng from the period spanning the transition between the La Tene and Gallo-Ro man periods, providing us with the opportunity of carrying out the first jo int analysis of plant and insect macroremains from an archaeological contex t in France. The study of these assemblages has resulted in a detailed reco nstruction of the natural and anthropogenic environment of the settlement, and provides information concerning cultivated plants. There is also novel data concerning the ancient distribution of some Coleopteran and plant spec ies which cover a much more restricted area today, such as the relict speci es Limoniscus violaceus (Coleoptera Elateridae) or Orlaya grandiflora (Umbe lliferae). Copyright 2000 Academic Press