Microbes of old Microbiology Meets Archaeology: Soil Microbial Communities Reveal Different Human Acti\nvities at Archaic Monte Iato (Sixth Century BC) – Rosa Margesin – Microbial Ecology (OA) EXCAVATION AREA OF THE NATIVE BUILDING

Microbial ecology has been recognized as useful in archaeological studies. At Archaic Monte Iato in Western Sicily, a native (indigenous) building was discovered. The objective of this study was the first examination of soil microbial communities related to this building. Soil samples were collected from archaeological layers at a ritual deposit (food waste disposal) in the main room and above the fireplace in the annex. (...) Microbial community structures in the fireplace were similar and could be distinguished from those in the two deposit layers, which had different microbial communities. Our data confirmed our hypothesis that human consumption habits left traces on microbiota in the archaeological evidence; therefore, microbiological residues as part of the so-called ecofacts are, like artifacts, key indicators of consumer behavior in the past.