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Antolín F, Jacomet S, Soteras R, Gerling C, Bernasconi SM, Follmann F, Hajdas I, Jaggi M, Jesus A, Martínez-Grau H, Oms FX, Röder B, Steiner BL, van Willigen S. An archaeobotanical and stable isotope approach to changing agricultural practices in the NW Mediterranean region around 4000 BC. Holocene 2024; 34:239-254. [PMID: 38259723 PMCID: PMC10799764 DOI: 10.1177/09596836231211848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
It has recently been observed, that a change in the crop spectrum happened during the so-called Middle Neolithic in France at ca. 4000 BC. An agricultural system based on free-threshing cereals (naked wheat and naked barley) seems to shift to one based on glume wheats. This is a major change for traditional farmers and this paper aims to shed light on its possible causes. Here we describe the results of new investigations in a key area for the understanding of this process: the NW Mediterranean arch, where free-threshing cereals are the main cultivars since ca. 5100 BC. New data confirm that the shift towards glume wheats is also observed in some sites of the NE of the Iberian Peninsula and that among the glume wheats that spread at ca. 4000 BC we should not only consider emmer and einkorn but also Timopheevi's wheat. Stable isotope analyses indicate no major decrease in soil fertility or alterations in local precipitation regimes. The agricultural change may be the result of a combination of the spread of damaging pests for free-threshing cereals and presumably new networks being developed with the North-eastern part of Italy and the Balkans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ferran Antolín
- German Archaeological Institute, Natural Sciences Unit, Germany
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Integrative Prehistory and Archaeological Science (IPAS), Basel University, Switzerland
| | - Stefanie Jacomet
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Integrative Prehistory and Archaeological Science (IPAS), Basel University, Switzerland
| | - Raül Soteras
- German Archaeological Institute, Natural Sciences Unit, Germany
| | - Claudia Gerling
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Integrative Prehistory and Archaeological Science (IPAS), Basel University, Switzerland
- Departement Altertumswissenschaften, Ur- und Frühgeschichtliche und Provinzialrömische Archäologie, Basel University, Switzerland
| | | | - Franziska Follmann
- German Archaeological Institute, Natural Sciences Unit, Germany
- Institut für Prähistorische Archäologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
| | - Irka Hajdas
- Laboratory of Ion Beam Physics (LIP), Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Madalina Jaggi
- Department of Earth Sciences, Geological Institute, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ana Jesus
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Integrative Prehistory and Archaeological Science (IPAS), Basel University, Switzerland
| | - Héctor Martínez-Grau
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Integrative Prehistory and Archaeological Science (IPAS), Basel University, Switzerland
| | - Francesc Xavier Oms
- Seminari d’Estudis i Recerques Prehistòriques (SERP). Secció de Prehistòria i Arqueologia, Dept. d’Història i Arqueologia, Facultat de Geografia i Història. Universitat de Barcelona, Spain
- Institut d’Arqueologia de la Universitat de Barcelona. Facultat de Geografia i Història. Universitat de Barcelona, Spain
| | - Brigitte Röder
- Departement Altertumswissenschaften, Ur- und Frühgeschichtliche und Provinzialrömische Archäologie, Basel University, Switzerland
| | - Bigna L Steiner
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Integrative Prehistory and Archaeological Science (IPAS), Basel University, Switzerland
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Jesus A, Bonhomme V, Evin A, Soteras R, Jacomet S, Bouby L, Antolín F. Morphometrics of waterlogged archaeological seeds give new insights into the domestication and spread of Papaver somniferum L. in Western Europe. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0286190. [PMID: 37228077 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Domesticated opium poppy Papaver somniferum L. subsp. somniferum probably originated in the Western Mediterranean from its possible wild progenitor, Papaver somniferum L. subsp. setigerum and spread to other European regions. Seeds of opium poppy have been identified in different European regions since the Early Neolithic (from the 6th millennium cal. BC onwards) period. However, until recently, the absence of morphological identification criteria has prevented the discrimination between wild and domestic morphotypes. New morphometric approaches to distinguish modern subspecies have been proven to be applicable to waterlogged archaeological remains, opening the possibility of understanding the process of domestication of the plant in both time and space. This paper applies seed outline analyses, namely elliptic Fourier transforms, combined with size and number of cells to archaeological waterlogged Papaver seeds throughout the Neolithic period in the NW Mediterranean and the surroundings of the Alps. Furthermore, one example from the Late Bronze Age (LBA) was added to see what kind of differences appeared during the >1000 years between the end of the Neolithic and the LBA. The aim of the study is to classify the archaeological seeds as domestic or wild morphotypes and observe morphometric changes in connection to geographical and chronological patterns that can explain the spread and domestication process(es) of this important crop. A total of 295 archaeological seeds coming from 10 waterlogged sites dating between 5300-2300 cal. BC (Neolithic), and one LBA site dating to 1070 cal. BC were analysed. The results indicate the presence of seeds, similar to the wild morphotype, in the Mediterranean sites and larger seeds, similar to the domestic morphotype, in the regions surrounding the Alps. The number of cells mainly increased during the Late Neolithic (3300 to 2300 cal. BC) and, finally, in the Late Bronze Age (ca. 1050-800 cal. BC), larger, morphologically domesticated seeds are clearly predominant. A change in the shape of the seeds is only clearly visible in the LBA material. Altogether our results suggest that opium poppy seeds show no sign of domestication in the early periods of the Neolithic, despite the fact that the plant was very probably already cultivated at that time in the western Mediterranean region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Jesus
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Integrative Prehistory and Archeological Science (IPAS), University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Vincent Bonhomme
- Département Paléo-Ecosystèmes, Climat, Sociétés (PAST), ISEM, University of Montpellier-CNRS-IRD-EPHE, Montpellier, France
| | - Allowen Evin
- Département Paléo-Ecosystèmes, Climat, Sociétés (PAST), ISEM, University of Montpellier-CNRS-IRD-EPHE, Montpellier, France
| | - Raül Soteras
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Integrative Prehistory and Archeological Science (IPAS), University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Division of Natural Sciences, German Archaeological Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stefanie Jacomet
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Integrative Prehistory and Archeological Science (IPAS), University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Laurent Bouby
- Département Paléo-Ecosystèmes, Climat, Sociétés (PAST), ISEM, University of Montpellier-CNRS-IRD-EPHE, Montpellier, France
| | - Ferran Antolín
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Integrative Prehistory and Archeological Science (IPAS), University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Division of Natural Sciences, German Archaeological Institute, Berlin, Germany
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3
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Steiner BL, Martínez-Grau H, Bernasconi SM, Gross E, Hajdas I, Jacomet S, Jaggi M, Schaeren GF, Antolín F. Archaeobotanical and isotopic analyses of waterlogged remains from the Neolithic pile-dwelling site of Zug-Riedmatt (Switzerland): Resilience strategies of a plant economy in a changing local environment. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0274361. [PMID: 36170265 PMCID: PMC9518907 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0274361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The excellent preservation of the waterlogged botanical remains of the multiphase Neolithic pile-dwelling site of Zug-Riedmatt (Central Switzerland) yielded an ideal dataset to delve into the issue of plant economy of a community spanning several decades. The study identified a major change in crops where oil plants played a key role in the site’s initial phase before being supplanted over the course of a few decades by naked wheat, barley and pea. Wild plants continued to be gathered albeit in different proportions. In the latest settlement phase, the changes in the local vegetation and in the values of the analyses of carbon stable isotopes suggest a less humid environment. The hypothesis is that the changes perceived in the plant economy represent a resilience strategy adopted by the inhabitants in reaction to short term local climatic alterations. The two types of soil sampling techniques (monolith and bulk) allowed comparing these results. While the density of plant remains appears to be underestimated among the samples collected by the monolith technique, the proportions of economic taxa remain unaffected. The findings thus reveal that when the bulk samplings are distributed carefully throughout multiphase sites and avoid mixing stratigraphical units, and if the samplings are representative of all archaeological features from a whole area, then each of the two techniques offer analogous results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bigna L. Steiner
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Integrative Prehistory and Archaeological Science (IPAS), University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- * E-mail:
| | - Héctor Martínez-Grau
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Integrative Prehistory and Archaeological Science (IPAS), University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | | | - Eda Gross
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Integrative Prehistory and Archaeological Science (IPAS), University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Irka Hajdas
- Laboratory of Ion Beam Physics, ETH Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Stefanie Jacomet
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Integrative Prehistory and Archaeological Science (IPAS), University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Ferran Antolín
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Integrative Prehistory and Archaeological Science (IPAS), University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- German Archaeological Institute, Berlin, Germany
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Häberle S, Schäfer M, Soteras R, Martínez-Grau H, Hajdas I, Jacomet S, Röder B, Schibler J, van Willigen S, Antolín F. Small Animals, Big Impact? Early Farmers and Pre- and Post-Harvest Pests from the Middle Neolithic Site of Les Bagnoles in the South-East of France (L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, Vaucluse, Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur). Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12121511. [PMID: 35739848 PMCID: PMC9219518 DOI: 10.3390/ani12121511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2022] [Revised: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 06/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Pests appear to have accompanied humans and their crops since the beginning of farming. Nevertheless, their study is only rarely integrated into research on farming in prehistory. An assemblage of invertebrates and small mammals was recovered from the waterlogged layers of three wells at the Middle Neolithic site (4250–3700 cal B.C.) of Les Bagnoles (SE France). The microfaunal remains were retrieved from sediment samples by wet sieving (wash-over technique). The most common among the rodents is the wood mouse. The assemblage also consists of insect remains of grain weevil, seed beetle, and corn ground beetle. The different finds not only offer data on the role of insect and rodent pests in the Neolithic but on the possible strategies adopted by the early farming communities in the western Mediterranean in response to pest infestation. The findings appear to confirm the hypothesis that the wood mouse was a commensal and storage pest in settlements long before the arrival of the invasive house mouse during the Bronze Age. The presence of the main storage pest, the grain weevil, suggests a long-term grain storage issue at Les Bagnoles. The combination of the results of the site’s archaeobotanical findings with those of other sites in the western Mediterranean suggests that the shift from naked to glume wheat around 4000 B.C. may also stem from a reaction to the problem of grain weevil infestation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Häberle
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Integrative Prehistory and Archaeological Science (IPAS), Basel University, 4055 Basel, Switzerland; (R.S.); (H.M.-G.); (S.J.); (J.S.); (F.A.)
- Correspondence: (S.H.); (M.S.)
| | - Marguerita Schäfer
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Integrative Prehistory and Archaeological Science (IPAS), Basel University, 4055 Basel, Switzerland; (R.S.); (H.M.-G.); (S.J.); (J.S.); (F.A.)
- Correspondence: (S.H.); (M.S.)
| | - Raül Soteras
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Integrative Prehistory and Archaeological Science (IPAS), Basel University, 4055 Basel, Switzerland; (R.S.); (H.M.-G.); (S.J.); (J.S.); (F.A.)
- Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Referat Naturwissenschaften an der Zentrale, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Héctor Martínez-Grau
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Integrative Prehistory and Archaeological Science (IPAS), Basel University, 4055 Basel, Switzerland; (R.S.); (H.M.-G.); (S.J.); (J.S.); (F.A.)
| | - Irka Hajdas
- Laboratory of Ion Beam Physics (LIP), Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland;
| | - Stefanie Jacomet
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Integrative Prehistory and Archaeological Science (IPAS), Basel University, 4055 Basel, Switzerland; (R.S.); (H.M.-G.); (S.J.); (J.S.); (F.A.)
| | - Brigitte Röder
- Departement Altertumswissenschaften, Ur- und Frühgeschichtliche und Provinzialrömische Archäologie, Basel University, 4051 Basel, Switzerland;
| | - Jörg Schibler
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Integrative Prehistory and Archaeological Science (IPAS), Basel University, 4055 Basel, Switzerland; (R.S.); (H.M.-G.); (S.J.); (J.S.); (F.A.)
| | | | - Ferran Antolín
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Integrative Prehistory and Archaeological Science (IPAS), Basel University, 4055 Basel, Switzerland; (R.S.); (H.M.-G.); (S.J.); (J.S.); (F.A.)
- Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Referat Naturwissenschaften an der Zentrale, 14195 Berlin, Germany
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Salavert A, Zazzo A, Martin L, Antolín F, Gauthier C, Thil F, Tombret O, Bouby L, Manen C, Mineo M, Mueller-Bieniek A, Piqué R, Rottoli M, Rovira N, Toulemonde F, Vostrovská I. Direct dating reveals the early history of opium poppy in western Europe. Sci Rep 2020; 10:20263. [PMID: 33219318 PMCID: PMC7679390 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-76924-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
This paper aims to define the first chrono-cultural framework on the domestication and early diffusion of the opium poppy using small-sized botanical remains from archaeological sites, opening the way to directly date minute short-lived botanical samples. We produced the initial set of radiocarbon dates directly from the opium poppy remains of eleven Neolithic sites (5900–3500 cal BCE) in the central and western Mediterranean, northwestern temperate Europe, and the western Alps. When possible, we also dated the macrobotanical remains originating from the same sediment sample. In total, 22 samples were taken into account, including 12 dates directly obtained from opium poppy remains. The radiocarbon chronology ranges from 5622 to 4050 cal BCE. The results show that opium poppy is present from at least the middle of the sixth millennium in the Mediterranean, where it possibly grew naturally and was cultivated by pioneer Neolithic communities. Its dispersal outside of its native area was early, being found west of the Rhine in 5300–5200 cal BCE. It was introduced to the western Alps around 5000–4800 cal BCE, becoming widespread from the second half of the fifth millennium. This research evidences different rhythms in the introduction of opium poppy in western Europe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurélie Salavert
- Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR) Archéozoologie, Archéobotanique: Sociétés, Pratiques et Environnements, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle (MNHN), Centre National de Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Alliance Sorbonne Université, Paris, France.
| | - Antoine Zazzo
- Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR) Archéozoologie, Archéobotanique: Sociétés, Pratiques et Environnements, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle (MNHN), Centre National de Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Alliance Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Lucie Martin
- Laboratory of Prehistoric Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,UMR EDYTEM, CNRS, Université Grenoble Alpes, Université Savoie Mont-Blanc, Chambéry, France
| | - Ferran Antolín
- Integrative Prehistory and Archaeological Science (IPAS), Universität Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Caroline Gauthier
- Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement (LSCE), CNRS, Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique (CEA), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin, Paris-Saclay, Paris, France
| | - François Thil
- Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement (LSCE), CNRS, Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique (CEA), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin, Paris-Saclay, Paris, France
| | - Olivier Tombret
- Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR) Archéozoologie, Archéobotanique: Sociétés, Pratiques et Environnements, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle (MNHN), Centre National de Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Alliance Sorbonne Université, Paris, France.,UMR Histoire Naturelle de L'Homme Préhistorique, Musée de L'Homme, MNHN, Paris, France
| | - Laurent Bouby
- ISEM, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Claire Manen
- UMR TRACES, CNRS, Université Toulouse Jean Jaurès, Toulouse, France
| | - Mario Mineo
- Museo delle Civiltà - Museo Preistorico Etnografico "Luigi Pigorini", Rome, Italy
| | | | - Raquel Piqué
- Departament de Prehistòria, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Mauro Rottoli
- Laboratorio Di Archeobiologia Dei Musei Civici Di Como, Department of Humanities, Università Degli Studi Di Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Núria Rovira
- UMR Archéologie Des Sociétés Méditerranéennes, Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier 3, CNRS, Ministère de La Culture Et de La Communication, Inrap/LabEx Archimède, Montpellier, France
| | - Françoise Toulemonde
- Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR) Archéozoologie, Archéobotanique: Sociétés, Pratiques et Environnements, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle (MNHN), Centre National de Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Alliance Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Ivana Vostrovská
- Faculty of Arts, Palacký University Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic
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Prats G, Antolín F, Alonso N. Household storage, surplus and supra-household storage in prehistoric and protohistoric societies of the Western Mediterranean. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0238237. [PMID: 32925932 PMCID: PMC7489512 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0238237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2020] [Accepted: 08/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The objective of this paper is to assess foodstuff storage throughout Recent Prehistory (5600-50 BCE) from the standpoint of the three different types (household, surplus and supra-household) identified in the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula. The volumetric data of the underground silos serves as a proxy to evaluate the link between them and the agricultural systems and technological changes. The study also assesses the ability, and specifically, the will of the ancient communities of the northeastern Iberia to generate domestic and extra-domestic surpluses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgina Prats
- Integrative Prehistory and Archaeological Science (IPNA/IPAS), Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Departament d’Història, Facultat de Lletres, Universitat de Lleida, Lleida, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Ferran Antolín
- Integrative Prehistory and Archaeological Science (IPNA/IPAS), Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Natàlia Alonso
- Departament d’Història, Facultat de Lletres, Universitat de Lleida, Lleida, Catalonia, Spain
- Departament d’Història, Facultat de Lletres, INDEST, Universitat de Lleida, Lleida, Catalonia, Spain
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7
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Heiss AG, Azorín MB, Antolín F, Kubiak-Martens L, Marinova E, Arendt EK, Biliaderis CG, Kretschmer H, Lazaridou A, Stika HP, Zarnkow M, Baba M, Bleicher N, Ciałowicz KM, Chłodnicki M, Matuschik I, Schlichtherle H, Valamoti SM. Mashes to Mashes, Crust to Crust. Presenting a novel microstructural marker for malting in the archaeological record. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0231696. [PMID: 32379784 PMCID: PMC7205394 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0231696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2019] [Accepted: 03/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The detection of direct archaeological remains of alcoholic beverages and their production is still a challenge to archaeological science, as most of the markers known up to now are either not durable or diagnostic enough to be used as secure proof. The current study addresses this question by experimental work reproducing the malting processes and subsequent charring of the resulting products under laboratory conditions in order to simulate their preservation (by charring) in archaeological contexts and to explore the preservation of microstructural alterations of the cereal grains. The experimentally germinated and charred grains showed clearly degraded (thinned) aleurone cell walls. The histological alterations of the cereal grains were observed and quantified using reflected light and scanning electron microscopy and supported using morphometric and statistical analyses. In order to verify the experimental observations of histological alterations, amorphous charred objects (ACO) containing cereal remains originating from five archaeological sites dating to the 4th millennium BCE were considered: two sites were archaeologically recognisable brewing installations from Predynastic Egypt, while the three broadly contemporary central European lakeshore settlements lack specific contexts for their cereal-based food remains. The aleurone cell wall thinning known from food technological research and observed in our own experimental material was indeed also recorded in the archaeological finds. The Egyptian materials derive from beer production with certainty, supported by ample contextual and artefactual data. The Neolithic lakeshore settlement finds currently represent the oldest traces of malting in central Europe, while a bowl-shaped bread-like object from Hornstaad-Hörnle possibly even points towards early beer production in central Europe. One major further implication of our study is that the cell wall breakdown in the grain's aleurone layer can be used as a general marker for malting processes with relevance to a wide range of charred archaeological finds of cereal products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas G. Heiss
- Department for Bioarchaeology, Austrian Archaeological Institute (ÖAI), Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW), Wien, Vienna, Austria
| | - Marian Berihuete Azorín
- Department of Molecular Botany (190a), Institute of Biology, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Ferran Antolín
- Integrative Prehistory and Archaeological Science (IPAS/IPNA), University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Lucy Kubiak-Martens
- BIAX Consult, Biological Archaeology & Landscape Reconstruction, Zaandam, The Netherlands
| | - Elena Marinova
- Hemmenhofen Office, State Office for Cultural Heritage Baden-Württemberg, Gaienhofen-Hemmenhofen, Germany
- Center for Archaeological Sciences (CAS), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Elke K. Arendt
- Cereal and Beverage Science Research Group, School of Food & Nutritional Sciences, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Costas G. Biliaderis
- Laboratory of Food Chemistry & Biochemistry, Department of Food Science & Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | | | - Athina Lazaridou
- Laboratory of Food Chemistry & Biochemistry, Department of Food Science & Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Hans-Peter Stika
- Department of Molecular Botany (190a), Institute of Biology, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Martin Zarnkow
- Research Center Weihenstephan for Brewing and Food Quality, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Freising, Germany
| | - Masahiro Baba
- Waseda Institute for Advanced Study, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Niels Bleicher
- Office for Urbanism Zürich, Underwater Archaeology and Laboratory for Dendrochronology, Zürich, Switzerland
| | | | - Marek Chłodnicki
- Department for General Archaeology, Poznań Archaeological Museum, Poznań, Poland
| | - Irenäus Matuschik
- Hemmenhofen Office, State Office for Cultural Heritage Baden-Württemberg, Gaienhofen-Hemmenhofen, Germany
| | - Helmut Schlichtherle
- Hemmenhofen Office, State Office for Cultural Heritage Baden-Württemberg, Gaienhofen-Hemmenhofen, Germany
| | - Soultana Maria Valamoti
- Lira Laboratory, Department of Archaeology, School of History and Archaeology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Innovation (CIRI-AUTH), Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
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Abstract
Insect pests affecting standing and stored crops can cause severe damage and reduce yields considerably. Was this also the case in Neolithic Europe? Did early farming populations take a certain amount of harvest loss into account? Did they decide to change crops or rotate them when they became too infested? Did they obtain new crops from neighbouring communities as part of this process? Or did they actively fight against pests? This paper focuses on pulse crop pests, presenting the earliest evidence of fava beans displaying boreholes and of the presence of pea weevil in two different archaeological sites: Can Sadurní (in a phase dated to ca. 4800-4500 cal BC), located in the NE Iberian Peninsula and Zürich-Parkhaus Opéra (in a phase dated to ca. 3160 BC), located in Central Switzerland. Evidence suggests that early farmers were aware of the damages produced by pests and we propose different strategies for their management, including potential evidence for the use of repellent or trap plants in the plots.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ferran Antolín
- IPAS (Integrative Prehistory and Archaeological Science), University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Marguerita Schäfer
- IPAS (Integrative Prehistory and Archaeological Science), University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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9
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Cornille A, Antolín F, Garcia E, Vernesi C, Fietta A, Brinkkemper O, Kirleis W, Schlumbaum A, Roldán-Ruiz I. A Multifaceted Overview of Apple Tree Domestication. Trends Plant Sci 2019; 24:770-782. [PMID: 31296442 DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2019.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2019] [Revised: 05/15/2019] [Accepted: 05/20/2019] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
The apple is an iconic tree and a major fruit crop worldwide. It is also a model species for the study of the evolutionary processes and genomic basis underlying the domestication of clonally propagated perennial crops. Multidisciplinary approaches from across Eurasia have documented the pace and process of cultivation of this remarkable crop. While population genetics and genomics have revealed the overall domestication history of apple across Eurasia, untangling the evolutionary processes involved, archeobotany has helped to document the transition from gathering and using apples to the practice of cultivation. Further studies integrating archeogenetic and archeogenomic approaches will bring new insights about key traits involved in apple domestication. Such knowledge has potential to boost innovation in present-day apple breeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amandine Cornille
- Génétique Quantitative et Evolution- Le Moulon, INRA, Univ. Paris-Sud, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
| | - Ferran Antolín
- Integrative Prehistory and Archeological Science (IPNA/IPAS), Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Spalenring 145, 4055 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Elena Garcia
- Department of Horticulture, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA
| | - Cristiano Vernesi
- Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre - Fondazione Edmund Mach, via Edmund Mach 1, 38010 San Michele all'Adige, TN, Italy
| | - Alice Fietta
- Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre - Fondazione Edmund Mach, via Edmund Mach 1, 38010 San Michele all'Adige, TN, Italy
| | - Otto Brinkkemper
- Cultural Heritage Agency, PO Box 1600, 3800 BP Amersfoort, The Netherlands
| | - Wiebke Kirleis
- Institute for Prehistoric and Protohistoric Archeology/Graduate School Human Development in Landscapes, Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Angela Schlumbaum
- Integrative Prehistory and Archeological Science (IPNA/IPAS), Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Spalenring 145, 4055 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Isabel Roldán-Ruiz
- Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food (ILVO), Plant Sciences Unit, Caritasstraat 39, 9090 Melle, Belgium; Ghent University, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Technologiepark 71, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
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10
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Heiss AG, Antolín F, Berihuete Azorín M, Biederer B, Erlach R, Gail N, Griebl M, Linke R, Lochner M, Marinova E, Oberndorfer D, Stika HP, Valamoti SM. The Hoard of the Rings. "Odd" annular bread-like objects as a case study for cereal-product diversity at the Late Bronze Age hillfort site of Stillfried (Lower Austria). PLoS One 2019; 14:e0216907. [PMID: 31166950 PMCID: PMC6550392 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0216907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2019] [Accepted: 04/30/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Cereals, in addition to being a major ingredient in daily meals, also play a role in the preparation of foodstuffs for ritual purposes. This paper deals with finds that may correspond to such ritual preparations retrieved from the hillfort site of Stillfried an der March. The site, spreading across an area of ca. 23 ha, held a very important position among settlements of Late Urnfield period (particularly during the 10th– 9th c. BCE), acting as a central place where large scale storage of grain as well as textile and metal production took place under the control of local elites. Three incomplete ring-shaped charred organic objects, found together with 14 rings and ring fragments made of clay were discovered in a secondary filled silo pit, excavated among a total of about 100 pits of this kind at the site. The overall good state of preservation of the organic ring fragments suggests that they were deposited intact on the bottom of the pit and covered well so that no re-deposition or damage occurred. This could be indicate their intentional placement in this position. Light and scanning electron microscopy revealed that the charred organic rings are cereal products containing hulled barley and a wheat species. Indications that the objects were shaped from a wet cereal mixture and had been subsequently dried without baking are discussed, as well as the possible significance of the find assemblage. The annular objects are put in context with the contemporary cereal spectrum as well as other cereal preparations from Stillfried, outlining their different chaînes opératoires for handling cereal food.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas G. Heiss
- Austrian Archaeological Institute (ÖAI), Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW), Wien/Vienna, Austria
- * E-mail:
| | - Ferran Antolín
- Integrative Prehistory and Archaeological Science (IPAS/IPNA), University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | | | - Benedikt Biederer
- Institute for Oriental and European Archaeology (OREA), Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW), Wien/Vienna, Austria
| | - Rudolf Erlach
- Institute of Art and Technology, University of Applied Arts Vienna, Wien/Vienna, Austria
| | - Niki Gail
- Austrian Archaeological Institute (ÖAI), Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW), Wien/Vienna, Austria
| | - Monika Griebl
- Institute for Oriental and European Archaeology (OREA), Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW), Wien/Vienna, Austria
| | - Robert Linke
- Referat Naturwissenschaftliches Labor, Federal Monuments Authority Austria (BDA), Wien/Vienna, Austria
| | - Michaela Lochner
- Institute for Oriental and European Archaeology (OREA), Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW), Wien/Vienna, Austria
| | - Elena Marinova
- Laboratory for Archaeobotany, State Office for Cultural Heritage Baden-Württemberg, Gaienhofen-Hemmenhofen, Germany
| | - Daniel Oberndorfer
- Austrian Archaeological Institute (ÖAI), Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW), Wien/Vienna, Austria
| | - Hans-Peter Stika
- Institute for Botany (210), University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Soultana Maria Valamoti
- Lira Laboratory, Department of Archaeology, School of History and Archaeology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Innovation (CIRI-AUTH), Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
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11
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Heiss AG, Antolín F, Bleicher N, Harb C, Jacomet S, Kühn M, Marinova E, Stika HP, Valamoti SM. State of the (t)art. Analytical approaches in the investigation of components and production traits of archaeological bread-like objects, applied to two finds from the Neolithic lakeshore settlement Parkhaus Opéra (Zürich, Switzerland). PLoS One 2017; 12:e0182401. [PMID: 28771539 PMCID: PMC5542691 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0182401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2017] [Accepted: 07/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The site of Parkhaus Opéra is located on the north-eastern shore of Lake Zürich (Switzerland) and was documented during a rescue excavation in 2010 and 2011 by the Office for Urbanism, City of Zürich. Two charred bread-like objects were found in late Neolithic Layer 13 of the pile-dwelling, and are investigated using a novel set of analyses for cereal-based foodstuffs. Tissue remains of barley and wheat were identified, as well as a schizocarp of celery (cf. Apium graveolens), providing the first evidence for the use of bread condiments in the Neolithic. Cereal particle sizes were recorded and used to draw conclusions regarding milling and sieving of the raw material. Gas bubbles in the charred objects were measured in order to evaluate possible leavening of the dough. The outcomes of this research significantly advance the understanding of the production traits of cereal-based food during the Neolithic. The analytical techniques proposed by this study open up new possibilities for systematic and consistent investigations of cereal-based archaeological foodstuffs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas G. Heiss
- Austrian Archaeological Institute (ÖAI), Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW), Wien/Vienna, Austria
- * E-mail:
| | - Ferran Antolín
- Integrative Prehistory and Archaeological Science (IPAS/IPNA), University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Niels Bleicher
- Office for Urbanism Zürich, Underwater Archaeology and Laboratory for Dendrochronology, Zürich, Switzerland
| | | | - Stefanie Jacomet
- Integrative Prehistory and Archaeological Science (IPAS/IPNA), University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Marlu Kühn
- Integrative Prehistory and Archaeological Science (IPAS/IPNA), University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Elena Marinova
- Center for Archaeological Sciences, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Royal Belgian Institute for Natural Sciences (RBINS), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Hans-Peter Stika
- University of Hohenheim, Institute of Botany (210), Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Soultana Maria Valamoti
- School of History and Archaeology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
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