The micropaleontological contrast of the History: the Roman Lacus Ligustinus

Abstract

During the Roman period (3rd century BC-5th century AD), the areas located near the present-day mouth of the Guadalquivir River were occupied by a lagoon with marine connection, according to the paleoenvironmental interpretation of benthic foraminiferal assemblages obtained in a core extracted in the Donana National Park. The inner zones of this lagoon were occupied by clayey tidal flats, which suffered the effects of a storm towards the end of the 1st century A.D. The comparison with the ostracod assemblages of the same core confirms this reconstruction and the paleogeographic data provided by various chroniclers, although these microcrustaceans better record the paleoenvironmental changes in these coastal sectors.