Archaeobotany

How to trace the ''Romanisation''of central Gaule by archaeobotanical analysis? Some considerations on new archaeobotanical results from France.

by Julian Wiethold

In : F. Favory/A. Vignot (éds.), Actualités de la Recherche en Histoire et Archéologie agraires. Actes du colloque international AGER V, Besançon 2000. Collection Annales Littéraires 764, Série « Environnement, sociétés et archéologie »5. Besançon: Presses Universitaires Franc-Comtoises, 2003, p. 269-282.

Neandertal plant food consumption and environmental use at Sima de las Palomas, Southeastern Iberia. Paleoanthropology Society, Memphis, TN (Apr 16-17, 2012)

by Robert Power

Robert C. Power1, Michael J. Walker2, Domingo C. Salazar García1,3, Amanda G. Henry1
1Plant Foods in Hominin Dietary Ecology Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig
2Área de Antropología Física, Facultad de Biología, Campus Universitario de Espinardo, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia
, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig

The disappearance of the Neanderthal populations of Western Eurasia following the arrival of Modern Humans is poorly... more The disappearance of the Neanderthal populations of Western Eurasia following the arrival of Modern Humans is poorly understood. Some models suggest that the Neanderthal’s narrower diet may have been a competitive disadvantage that was a factor in their demise. Until recently there is limited data available on Neanderthal dietary breadth, particularly about plant foods.

The Neanderthals from southern Europe are less widely-understood than their more northern counterparts, though there is evidence that they persisted late in this area and likely had access to a wider spectrum of dietary resources. However, the vegetal component of diet in Palaeolithic Western Mediterranean is almost entirely unknown.

We analysed the plant microremains (phytoliths and starch grains) preserved in dental calculus and on stone tools in order to assess the vegetal component of the diet at Sima de las Palomas in southeastern Iberia. Our results provide the first direct evidence of plant consumption within a range of niches in Middle Palaeolithic Western Mediterranean, which may influence our understanding of the behavioural variation among Neanderthal groups.

Woodland vegetation and the exploitation of fuel and timber at Neolithic Çatalhöyük: report on the wood charcoal macro‐remains

by Eleni Asouti

In Hodder, I. (ed.). Inhabiting Çatalhöyük: Reports from the 1995-9 Seasons, pp. 213-258. McDonald Institute Monographs 38. McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research and British Institute at Ankara, Cambridge & London (2005)

Woodland vegetation and fuel exploitation at the prehistoric campsite of Pinarbasi, south-central Anatolia, Turkey: the evidence from the wood charcoal macro-remains

by Eleni Asouti

published in the Journal of Archaeological Science (2003) vol. 30, pp. 1185-1201

This paper presents the results of the analysis of wood charcoal macro-remains from the multi-period prehistoric rock... more This paper presents the results of the analysis of wood charcoal macro-remains from the multi-period prehistoric rock shelters of Pinarbasi in the Konya plain, south-central Anatolia. Retrieval and analytical methods are also reported in detail, together with some methodologies previously untested in the field of charcoal analysis aiming at the quantitative description of context-related variation in the preservation status of archaeological wood charcoal assemblages. The patterns observed in the charcoal record are interpreted as a reflection of the prehistoric strategies for firewood exploitation in their local and regional palaeoenvironmental context.

Macro-botanical evidence for plant use at Neolithic Catalhöyük south-central Anatolia, Turkey

by Eleni Asouti

published in Vegetation History and Archaeobotany (2002) vol. 11, pp. 41-54

Analysis of charred plant macro-remains, including wood charcoals, cereals, seeds, tubers and fruits from the... more Analysis of charred plant macro-remains, including wood charcoals, cereals, seeds, tubers and fruits from the Neolithic site of Catalhoyuk has indicated complex patterns of plant resource use and exploitation in the Konya plain during the early Holocene. Evidence presented in this paper shows that settlement location was not dictated by proximity to high quality arable land and direct access to arboreal resources (firewood, timber, fruit producing species). A summary of the patterns observed in sample composition and species representation is outlined here together with preliminary interpretations of these results within their broader regional context.

Gathered Food Plants at Dutch Mesolithic and Neolithic Wetland Sites

by Welmoed Out

2008, Baker et al., Food and drink in Archaeology I

Farmers, gatherers or horticulturalists? Reconstructing landscapes of practice in the Early Neolithic

by Eleni Asouti

In Finlayson, B. and Warren, G. (eds) Landscapes in Transition. CBRL Monographs (2010)

Charcoal analysis and the reconstruction of ancient woodland vegetation in the Konya Basin, south-central Anatolia, Turkey: results from the Neolithic site of …

by Eleni Asouti

published in Vegetation History and Archaeobotany (2001) vol. 10, pp. 23-32

The results produced by charcoal analysis are used in conjunction with pollen evidence, geomorphological data and... more The results produced by charcoal analysis are used in conjunction with pollen evidence, geomorphological data and ecological analogues, in order to reconstruct ancient woodland vegetation in the Konya Basin and its surroundings during the Neolithic. Emphasis is placed on the structure, diversity and seasonal habit of different vegetation types, as well as their potential response to natural and/or anthropogenic disturbance. It is argued that such an approach to vegetation reconstruction enables better insights into palaeoenvironments as experienced by human groups in the past, and thus offers fruitful avenues for investigating the relationship of human societies with the natural environment.

Wood Charcoal from Santorini (Thera): New Evidence for Climate, Vegetation and Timber Imports in the Bronze Age Aegean

by Eleni Asouti

published in Antiquity (2003) vol. 77, pp. 471-484

Wood charcoal from stratified layers at Akrotiri is helping to map the ecology of the island of Santorini before the... more Wood charcoal from stratified layers at Akrotiri is helping to map the ecology of the island of Santorini before the volcanic eruption in the second millennium BC which brought Bronze Age settlement to an end. Far from being treeless like today, the island had a relatively moist and cool climate with diverse vegetation including open oak woodland. Olive cultivation can be traced back to the Early Bronze Age. Cedar, yew and beech were also imported from Lebanon, Cyprus and Anatolia as artefacts, or for building.

Reconstructing woodland vegetation and its exploitation by past societies, based on the analysis and interpretation of archaeological wood charcoal macro-remains

by Eleni Asouti

published in Environmental Archaeology (2005) vol. 10, pp. 1-18

In this paper the significance of the analysis of archaeological wood charcoal macro-remains as a tool for the... more In this paper the significance of the analysis of archaeological wood charcoal macro-remains as a tool for the reconstruction of woodland vegetation and its exploitation is discussed. Drawing from both older and more recent publications a number of theoretical and methodological approaches are examined. It is suggested that greater integration of charcoal and archaeological data is needed when evaluating charcoal preservation and sample composition, and that a more coherent theory of the complex ecological and cultural processes affecting species availability and firewood management needs to be developed.

The ethnoarchaeology of firewood management in the Fang villages of Equatorial Guinea, central Africa: Implications for the interpretation of wood fuel remains from …

by Eleni Asouti

published in the Journal of Anthropological Archaeology (2011) vol. 30, pp. 375-384

In archaeological literature, the study of trees and wood remains is a topic of relatively marginal interest,... more In archaeological literature, the study of trees and wood remains is a topic of relatively marginal interest, especially compared to texts on crops and human–animal relations. However, charcoal is the most frequent botanical remain found in archaeological sites. Charcoal analysis can therefore play a major role in the development of studies in both landscape and palaeoethnobotanical reconstruction. The majority of the archaeological charcoal assemblages reflect the exploitation of wood as an energy source (fuel). The archaeological study of firewood selection has been predominantly developed from ‘‘eco utilitarian’’ or ‘‘subsistence economy’’ perspectives, but has not yet considered fuel collection and use as one of the most enduring categories of human–environment interactions, nor has archaeology looked into its potential as a source of empirical information on past perceptions of, and interactions with, ancient landscapes. The aim of this paper is to expand previous archaeological work on the interpretation of charcoal macroremains through the study of firewood collection as a historically constituted, socially mediated and archaeologically observable landscape practice. In order to achieve this, we present an ethnoarchaeological case study from the Fang society of Equatorial Guinea (central Africa) aimed at gaining a better understanding of the complex interactions between cultural, ecological and economic variables in firewood collection strategies.

From foraging to farming in the southern Levant: the development of Epipalaeolithic and Pre-pottery Neolithic plant management strategies

by Eleni Asouti

Published in Vegetation History and Archaeobotany (2012) vol 21, pp.149–162

This paper reviews the archaeobotanical record of the transition from foraging to farming in the southern Levant. The... more This paper reviews the archaeobotanical record of the transition from foraging to farming in the southern Levant. The concise presentation of the published botanical evidence follows a critical assessment of: (a) the nature of Epipalaeolithic plant management strategies, (b) the place of the southern Levant in the polycentric development of Near Eastern plant cultivation and domestication, and (c) region-specific pathways for the emergence of domesticated crop ‘‘packages’’. Some inferences are drawn and suggestions are made concerning the potential contribution of archaeobotanical research to questions of broader archaeological significance about socio-economic change in the southern Levant during the Pre-pottery Neolithic.

J. Wiethold, Hirse, Hanf und Hohldotter – Pflanzenfunde aus einem römischen Brunnen in Otterbach, Kr. Kaiserslautern

by Julian Wiethold

In: A. Stobbe/U. Tegtmeier (éds.), Verzweigungen. Eine Würdigung für A. J. Kalis und J. Meurers-Balke. Frankfurter Archäologische Schriften 18 (Frankfurt a. M./Köln 2012) 311-323.

A Roman well found during a rescue excavation in Otterbach, Kr. Kaiserslautern revealed a rich assemblage of mainly... more A Roman well found during a rescue excavation in Otterbach, Kr. Kaiserslautern revealed a rich assemblage of mainly uncarbonized botanical plant remains. The filling of the well can be dated to the 2nd and 3rd c. AD. Archaeobotanical analysis of three samples revealed 6864 plant macrofossils, (total volume 21 litres). the spectra are giving evidence of the cultivation and consumption of spelt (Triticum spelta), broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum), the oil plants hemp (Cannabis sativa) and flax (Linum usitatissimum) and, finally, the spices celery and coriander. The most remarkable weeds, originating from the Mediterranean region, are Orlaya grandiflora and Myagrum perfoliatum.


For ordering the book : ISBN 978-3-7749-3768-0
http://www.habelt.de

Neolithic plant remains from Egypt

by Mans Schepers

The article deals with the analysis of botanical more The article deals with the analysis of botanical macrohttp://rug.academia.edu/MansSchepers/Papers/manage#
remains found during the excavation of a Neolithic
grain storage-pit area by the RUG/UCLA Fayum
Project. The Fayum is a fertile depression in Egypt. The
paper starts with a short introduction of the K-site and
its history. Then it focuses on the fill of the pits, and the
material retrieved by means of dissolving concretions
that had been used to seal the pits. Finally, the finds
from the different pits are compared with each other.

Archaeobotanical perspectives on the rural-urban connection

by Naomi Miller

1990. MASCA Research Papers in Science and Archaeology, supplement to vol. 7: 79-83

Paleoethnobotanical Results from Bendebal and Jaffarabad

by Naomi Miller

1983 Cahiers de la Délégation Archéologique Française en Iran 13: 277-284.
(Other than my dissertation completed in 1982, this is the first time I explain a seed assemblage as probably coming from dung fuel.)

Carbóns e madeiras en contextos arqueolóxicos: criterios para a recollida, rexistro e almacenaxe de mostras

by María Martín-Seijo

Co-authored with Aldara Rico Rey, published in Gallaecia, vol. 27: 273-283, 2008

Charcoal and wood are the most frecuent archaeobotanical remains in archaeological contexts so field sampling, storing... more Charcoal and wood are the most frecuent archaeobotanical remains in archaeological contexts so field sampling, storing and recording are fundamental to obtain information by charcoal and wood analysis. In this paper there are the basic criteria during the archaeological activities for this kind of sample treatment.

The exploitation of forest resources in mountain areas during the Neolithic in the northeast of the Iberian peninsula

by María Martín-Seijo

Co authored with Laura Obea, Raquel Piqué & Ermengol Gassiot, published in Saguntum Extra, 2011

The aim of this work is to analyze the variability in the use of firewood in mountain areas in northeast Iberian... more The aim of this work is to analyze the variability in the use of firewood in mountain areas in northeast Iberian Peninsula. The data obtained from the charcoal analyses in Cova del Sardo (4550- 2500 cal. BC) is compared with other sites located in the south side of the Pyrenees and Prepyrenees. Differences in altitude and latitude explain the main differences in the consumptions of firewood: in middle and high altitudes Pinus sylvestris-nigra type is dominant; whereas, Quercus sp. deciduous and Buxus sempevirens are the most important taxa at low altitudes.

Firewood and timber exploitation during the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC in the Western façade of the Iberian Northwest: wooden resources, territories and chaîne opératoire

by María Martín-Seijo

Co-authored with A.M.S. Bettencourt & E. Abad Vidal, poster presented at IV Jornadas do Quaternário, APEQ, Coimbra, 2011

Human societies established productive strategies in order to obtain the material resources needed for their day-... more Human societies established productive strategies in order to obtain the material resources needed for their day- to-day life, including firewood and timber. These strategies were determined by the environmental supply, and also by the cultural characteristics and technical capacities of these communities. This paper presents charcoal analyses data from four Chalcolithic and Bronze Age open-air settlements located in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula and occupied during the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC. These results contribute to the knowledge of the exploitation of wooden resources, of the territories where these resources were collected, and of the firewood and timber production process. The identified wood taxa point to a diversified exploitation of the territory, where firewood and timber were collected and/or felled in the deciduous woodland, the river banks and scrubland areas. The wooden resources consumed in each site allowed us to hypothesize about the territory of each community. The characteristics of wood parts used, degree of the tree-ring curvature, the minimum diameter of twigs or logs, the presence of tyloses or gum deposits, of reaction wood, of scars, etc.- as well as other data from archaeological contexts, such as the length of the post holes were all taken into account.

A floresta e o mato. Exemplos da exploração dos recursos lenhosos pelas comunidades da Idade do Bronze Inicial e Médio do Noroeste de Portugal

by María Martín-Seijo

Co-authored with I. Figueiral, A. M. S. Bettencourt, A. H. B. Gonçalves & M.I.C. Alves, published in n J. Tereso, J. Honrado, A. Pinto & F. Rego (Eds), Florestas do Norte de Portugal. História, Ecologia e Desafios de Gestão. InBio - Rede de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Biologia Evolutiva. E-book, pp. 68-80. 2011

Charcoal and dendrological analysis of the Early and Middle Bronze Age settlements of Monte Calvo and Lavra... more Charcoal and dendrological analysis of the Early and Middle Bronze Age settlements of Monte Calvo and Lavra (northwestern Portugal) has provided information on the nature of the vegetation cover and on the strategies of wood resources exploitation during this period.  371 charcoal fragments of 29 samples were analyzed, all of them preserved by carbonization.  The results reveal that all the diverse vegetation available in the vicinity of the settlements was exploited: species growing in mixed forests,
along river / stream banks and in open scrubland.  The wood of oak (deciduous Quercus) and leguminous plants (Fabaceae) appears to have been the most common fuel.