Two cores were recovered in the southeastern part of Lake Shkodra (Montenegro and Albania) and sampled for identification of tephra layers. The first core (SK13, 7.8mlong) was recovered from a water depth of 7m, while the second core (SK19, 5.8mlong) was recovered close to the presentday shoreline (water depth of 2 m). Magnetic susceptibility investigations show generally low values with some peaks that in some cases are related to tephra layers. Naked-eye inspection of the cores allowed the identification of four tephra layers in core SK13 and five tephra layers in core SK19. Major element analyses on glass shards and mineral phases allowed correlation of the tephra layers between the two cores, and their attribution to six different Holocene explosive eruptions of southern Italy volcanoes. Two tephra layers have under-saturated composition of glass shards (foiditic and phonolitic) and were correlated to the AD 472 and the Avellino (ca. 3.9 cal. ka BP) eruptions of Somma- Vesuvius. One tephra layer has benmoreitic composition and was correlated to the FL eruption of Mount Etna (ca. 3.4 cal. ka BP). The other three tephra layers have trachytic composition and were correlated to Astroni (ca. 4.2 cal. ka BP), Agnano Monte Spina (ca. 4.5 cal. ka BP) and Agnano Pomici Principali (ca. 12.3 cal. ka BP) eruptions of Campi Flegrei. The ages of tephra layers are in broad agreement with eight 14C accelerator mass spectrometric measurements carried out on plant remains and charcoal from the lake sediments at different depths along the two cores. The recognition of distal tephra layers from Italian volcanoes allowed the physical link of the Holocene archive of Lake Shkodra to other archives located in the central Mediterranean area and the Balkans (i.e. Lake Ohrid). Five of the recognised tephra layers were recognised for the first time in the Balkans area, and this has relevance for volcanic hazard assessment and for ash dispersal forecasting in case of renewed explosive activity from some of the southern Italy volcanoes

A multi-proxy record is presented for approximately the last 4500 cal a BP from Lake Shkodra, Albania/\ud \ud Montenegro. Lithological analyses, C/N ratio and d13C of the organic and inorganic carbon component suggest that\ud \ud organic matter and bulk carbonate are predominantly authigenic. The d18O record of bulk carbonate indicates the\ud \ud presence of two prominent wet periods: one at ca. 4300 cal a BP and one at ca. 2500–2000 cal a BP. The latter phase is\ud \ud also found in southern Spain and Central Italy, and represents a prominent event in the western and central\ud \ud Mediterranean. In the last 2000 years, four relatively wet intervals occurred between ca. 1800 and 1500 cal a BP\ud \ud (150–450 AD), 1350–1250 (600–700 AD), 1100–800 (850–1150 AD), and at ca. 90 cal a BP (1860 AD). Between\ud \ud ca. 4100 and 2500 cal a BP d18O values are relatively high, with three prominent peaks indicating drier conditions at\ud \ud ca. 4100–4000 cal a BP, ca. 3500 and at ca. 3300 cal a BP. Four additional drier events are identified at 1850 (ca. 100\ud \ud AD), 1400 (ca. 550 AD), 1150 (800 AD) and ca.750 cal a BP (1200 AD). The pollen record does not show changes in\ud \ud accordance with these episodes owing to the poor sensitivity of vegetation in this area, which is dominated by an\ud \ud orographic rainfall effect and where changes in altitudinal vegetation belts do not affect the pollen rain in the lake\ud \ud catchment. However, since ca. 900 cal a BP a significant decrease in the percentage arboreal pollen and in pollen\ud \ud concentrations suggest major deforestation produced by human activities

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