At Jerf el Ahmar in northern Syria the authors have excavated a settlement where
the occupants w... more At Jerf el Ahmar in northern Syria the authors have excavated a settlement where
the occupants were harvesting and processing barley 1000 years in advance of its
domestication. Rows of querns installed in square stone and daub buildings leave no
doubt that this was a community dedicated to the systematic production of food from wild cereals. Given the plausible suggestion that barley was being cultivated, the site opens a window onto a long period of pre-domestic agriculture. Rye was also harvested, its chaff used to temper mud walls
Un établissement néolithique pré-céramique à Chypre Les fouilles du secteur 3 SHILLOUROKAMBOS, 2021
Une partie des résultats de l’étude archéobotanique de
Shillourokambos a été déjà publiée dans un... more Une partie des résultats de l’étude archéobotanique de Shillourokambos a été déjà publiée dans un rapport préliminaire (Willcox 2000) et dans la publication de secteur 1 (Willcox 2011). Nous présentons ici les découvertes faites dans le secteur 31 et plaçons l’ensemble des résultats archéobotaniques du site par rapport aux résultats récents provenant des sites de Klimonas (Vigne et al. 2012) et Aios Yiorkis (Lucas et al. 2012). Les méthodes utilisées et une description de la végétation actuelle ont été développées dans les publications précédentes, mais il sera intéressant d’en rappeler certains aspects. La matière organique ne se conserve pas dans les sédiments archéologiques de Shillourokambos. Elle se décompose, s’hydrolyse ou s’oxyde rapidement dans les sédiments qui sont un milieu en aérobie biologiquement actifs depuis leur formation. Nos vestiges végétaux se limitent à des restes carbonisés ou minéralisés ou à les empreintes encore observables dans la terre à bâtir. Les restes carbonisés sont conservés seulement à partir d’environ 80 cm de profondeur et rarement dans les puits. La minéralisation est très rare et s’observe uniquement dans les puits. Les empreintes dans la terre à bâtir ne se conservent que lorsque la terre est brulée. De ce fait nos données sont extrêmement limitées quantitativement et qualitativement.
Charred remains of wild rye from five sites in the Middle Euphrates region in Syria dated to the ... more Charred remains of wild rye from five sites in the Middle Euphrates region in Syria dated to the end of the Pleistocene and the beginning of the Holocene are examined. This period spans the transition from gathering to the beginnings of cultivation. Today wild rye cannot grow in the region because temperatures and aridity are too pronounced. Wild rye grains and wild two-grained einkorn are morphologically similar, which has led to difficulties in identification; in some cases rye may have been identified as two-grained einkorn or as Triticum/Secale. In this paper, with reference to modern specimens and re-examination of charred material from Dja'de el-Mughara, Jerf el-Ahmar and Mureybet, we examine the criteria for identification and revise the results for charred caryopses and wild spikelet bases. We then present these new results which show that at the early Neolithic sites of Jerf el-Ahmar, Mureybet, Dja'de el-Mughara and Tell 'Abr 3 wild rye frequencies are much higher than einkorn but wild barley is the dominant cereal. This is followed by discussions of how and why wild rye may have been exploited during the early Neolithic and why rye disappears from Euphrates sites with the advent of mixed farming.
Journal of Archaeological Science 31:145-50. , 2004
Cereal grains recovered from recent excavations at two early Neolithic tenth millennium (BP non c... more Cereal grains recovered from recent excavations at two early Neolithic tenth millennium (BP non cal.) sites on the Euphrates were measured. The results presented as scatter diagrams showed that there was an increase in grain size between early and later levels. This led to the question of whether or not the changes were due to the effects of domestication. The data provided an opportunity to evaluate the use of measurements as a method to identify morphological domestication from early farming sites. Results were compared to domesticated specimens from a site dating to the end of the seventh millennium situated in the same geographical area and it was found that the upper size range from the Neolithic levels corresponded well with domesticated grains. Data from some published sites was also plotted. The factors affecting grain size such as morphological domestication, charring, environmental factors and crop processing are discussed in relation to the results.
Charred plant remains from the sites of Tell Qaramel, Jerf el Ahmar, Dja’de and Tell ‘Abr situate... more Charred plant remains from the sites of Tell Qaramel, Jerf el Ahmar, Dja’de and Tell ‘Abr situated in northern Syria and dated to the tenth and ninth millennia cal b.c. demonstrate that a wide variety of wild pulses, cereals, fruits and nuts was exploited. Five lines of evidence suggest that cultivation was practised at three of the sites. (1) Wild einkorn, wild rye and lentils occur outside their natural habitats. (2) The founder crops barley, emmer and single-grained einkorn appear at different times. (3) An assemblage of weeds of cultivation was identified. (4) There is a gradual decrease in gathered plants such as small seeded grasses and Polygonum/Rumex. (5) Barley grains increase in breadth and thickness. Morphological domestication did not become established, perhaps because seed stock was regularly collected from wild stands. Charred rodent droppings indicate large-scale grain storage.
Vegetation History and Archaeobotany 14/4:534-541., 2005
In this article we examine the natural habitats and distribution of the six wild cereals: Triticu... more In this article we examine the natural habitats and distribution of the six wild cereals: Triticum urartu (wild urartu wheat), T. boeoticum aegilopoides (single-grained wild einkorn), T. boeoticum thaoudar (two-grained wild einkorn), T. dicoccoides (wild emmer wheat), Secale spp. (wild ryes) and Hordeum spontaneum (wild barley). A comparison of late Pleistocene/early Holocene archaeobotanical assemblages in the Near East with present-day distributions of wild cereals shows a good correlation. The regional variation in the ar-chaeobotanical cereal assemblages and the ensuing do-mestication provide evidence that different cereal species were domesticated independently in different areas. Some sites were not situated near wild cereal habitats and a few were located outside the limits of distribution, even accounting for moister climatic conditions. I argue here that current models which try to explain the shift to farming have tended to overemphasize the effect of the Younger Dryas climatic change. First, it would have had only a minor effect on cereal availability. Secondly, agriculture appears to have been established after the Younger Dryas. Thirdly, there is no evidence for a single centre of origin; agriculture arose in widely separated geographic and climatic regions. And fourthly, agriculture depends on stable climatic conditions which were not established until after the Younger Dryas.
This paper looks at new finds of early cultivation in the eastern Fertile Crescent and the region... more This paper looks at new finds of early cultivation in the eastern Fertile Crescent and the regional aspects of the origins og cultivation in the Near East.
Journal of Archaeological Science 4, 269-282., 1977
An extensive range of plant remains was recovered from seven Roman sites in London where waterlog... more An extensive range of plant remains was recovered from seven Roman sites in London where waterlogged conditions had resulted in good preservation. In the majority of cases the "artificial" nature of urban deposits precludes any objective ecological interpretation, since the allochthonous origin of the plant remains cannot he satisfactorily established. However, the presence of exotic plants in dated deposits is of both botanical and archaeological significance and is here artificially treated as an autonomous group. This varied group of plants (excluding carbonized cereals) is arranged according to their use and put in archaeological and botanical perspective. Species such as cucumber (Cucumis sativa), gold of pleasure (Came/inn .sntiva), peach (Prunuspersica), olive (Olea europaea) and millet (Panicrtm miliaceuru)
Analyses of charred remains and impressions of chaff in pisé (mudbrick) from the Neolithic sites ... more Analyses of charred remains and impressions of chaff in pisé (mudbrick) from the Neolithic sites of A-ratashen and Aknashen (sixth millennium cal B.C.) situated in the Ararat valley in Armenia demonstrate that naked barley and possible naked (free-threshing) wheat together with emmer and hulled barley were common. Two lesser known crucifers, Camelina microcarpa (false flax) and Alyssum desertorum (alyssum) were found in the form of crop processing residues. These were frequent in the pisé, indicating their use perhaps as an oil source. Lens culinaris (small-seeded lentil) and Vicia ervilia (bitter vetch) were recovered both as carbonized seeds and from crop processing residues in the pisé. False flax and bitter vetch were less common than alyssum and lentil. Two charred pips of Vitis vinifera (wild vine) were recovered, suggesting the early use of vines in the region. Flotation samples alone would have provided limited data; examination of crop processing residues used for tempering pisé provided important evidence of the plant economy at these two sites.
J. Ibañez (ed.) Le site néolithique de Tell Mureybet (Syrie du Nord), en hommage à Jacques Cauvin. BAR International Series, 1843 (1).103-114 , 2008
Le climat et la végétation actuels dans la région de Mureybet ont déjà été décrits (Willcox 1996 ... more Le climat et la végétation actuels dans la région de Mureybet ont déjà été décrits (Willcox 1996 ; Willcox et Roitel 1998 ; Helmer et al. 1998 ; van Zeist and Bakker-Heeres 1984). Rappelons qu'aujourd'hui la moyenne des précipitations est de 200 mm par an, mais on sait qu'il s'y ajoute une forte irrégularité interannuelle. La
De Méditerranée et d'ailleus... Mélanges offerts à Jean Guilaine. pp 693-710. Archives d'Ecologie Préhistorique. Toulouse., 2009
L'agriculture est facile à démontrer quand les céréales deviennent morphologiquement « domestique... more L'agriculture est facile à démontrer quand les céréales deviennent morphologiquement « domestiques », vers 8200 avant J.-C. cal., mais il reste toujours un doute pour les périodes plus anciennes. Cet article présente un résumé des indices archéobotaniques et archéologiques en faveur d'une agriculture prédomestique à Jerf el Ahmar, à partir de 9500 avant J.-C. cal. Dans ce site de l'horizon PPNA, on décèle des indices à travers l'amélioration des outils de récolte, le stockage communautaire et la fréquentation des rongeurs commensaux, l'utilisation massive de la balle des céréales dans l'architecture de terre et les modes organisés de préparation des céréales et des légumineuses. Tous ces indices, combinés avec les observations d'ordre archéobotanique, suggèrent une intensification de l'utilisation des céréales qui s'expliquerait par leur culture, à proximité de l'installation.
Les données récentes des analyses anthracologiques provenant des sites du Proche et Moyen-Orient ... more Les données récentes des analyses anthracologiques provenant des sites du Proche et Moyen-Orient montrent que la zone de forêt-steppe pénétrait au Néolithique dans la zone de la steppe actuelle. Les données sont incomplètes, mais une corrélation avec les données carpologiques et palynologiques vient à l'appui de cette interprétation. Des importations de bois pourraient être responsables de la présence de quelques taxons à faible fréquence : durant l'Age du Bronze nous en avons des indices en Mésopotamie. Ce n'est qu'à partir des périodes historiques que l'on perçoit les premiers indices de déboisement.
Archaeobotany and Vegetation History. 5:143-152., 1996
Archaeobotanical results based on a limited number of samples from three aeeramie sites dating fr... more Archaeobotanical results based on a limited number of samples from three aeeramie sites dating from 9800 to 7800 B.P., which are under excavation in the valley of the Middle Euphrates, are discussed. The finds are presented simply by presence, and are compared to the contemporary vegetation and finds from similar sites. Carbonised plant remains recovered by flotation from levels dated to between 9800 and 9200 B.P. (Dja'de and Jerf al Ahmar) indicate that wild cereals (einkorn wheat, rye and barley) and pulses (lentils, pea and bitter vetch) were exploited. Other plants such as wild grasses, Pistacia, wild almond and oak, suggest that the local vegetation provided a rich diversity of resources. A study of possible weed taxa is being carried out in order to see whether this assemblage could be used to identify the cultivation of morphologically wild cereals for this period. Ninth millennium B.P. levels at Halula see the appearance of domestic crops such as emmer, naked wheat and barley, but wild-type cereals persist. The cultivars appear to have been introduced from elsewhere and later ninth millennium B.P. species include olive and flax. Ash, vine, maple, plane, alder and elm from the gallery forest, wild rye, wild einkorn, deciduous oak, wild almond , Pistacia, and Pyrus, from the hinterland, indicate cooler conditions.
At Jerf el Ahmar in northern Syria the authors have excavated a settlement where
the occupants w... more At Jerf el Ahmar in northern Syria the authors have excavated a settlement where
the occupants were harvesting and processing barley 1000 years in advance of its
domestication. Rows of querns installed in square stone and daub buildings leave no
doubt that this was a community dedicated to the systematic production of food from wild cereals. Given the plausible suggestion that barley was being cultivated, the site opens a window onto a long period of pre-domestic agriculture. Rye was also harvested, its chaff used to temper mud walls
Un établissement néolithique pré-céramique à Chypre Les fouilles du secteur 3 SHILLOUROKAMBOS, 2021
Une partie des résultats de l’étude archéobotanique de
Shillourokambos a été déjà publiée dans un... more Une partie des résultats de l’étude archéobotanique de Shillourokambos a été déjà publiée dans un rapport préliminaire (Willcox 2000) et dans la publication de secteur 1 (Willcox 2011). Nous présentons ici les découvertes faites dans le secteur 31 et plaçons l’ensemble des résultats archéobotaniques du site par rapport aux résultats récents provenant des sites de Klimonas (Vigne et al. 2012) et Aios Yiorkis (Lucas et al. 2012). Les méthodes utilisées et une description de la végétation actuelle ont été développées dans les publications précédentes, mais il sera intéressant d’en rappeler certains aspects. La matière organique ne se conserve pas dans les sédiments archéologiques de Shillourokambos. Elle se décompose, s’hydrolyse ou s’oxyde rapidement dans les sédiments qui sont un milieu en aérobie biologiquement actifs depuis leur formation. Nos vestiges végétaux se limitent à des restes carbonisés ou minéralisés ou à les empreintes encore observables dans la terre à bâtir. Les restes carbonisés sont conservés seulement à partir d’environ 80 cm de profondeur et rarement dans les puits. La minéralisation est très rare et s’observe uniquement dans les puits. Les empreintes dans la terre à bâtir ne se conservent que lorsque la terre est brulée. De ce fait nos données sont extrêmement limitées quantitativement et qualitativement.
Charred remains of wild rye from five sites in the Middle Euphrates region in Syria dated to the ... more Charred remains of wild rye from five sites in the Middle Euphrates region in Syria dated to the end of the Pleistocene and the beginning of the Holocene are examined. This period spans the transition from gathering to the beginnings of cultivation. Today wild rye cannot grow in the region because temperatures and aridity are too pronounced. Wild rye grains and wild two-grained einkorn are morphologically similar, which has led to difficulties in identification; in some cases rye may have been identified as two-grained einkorn or as Triticum/Secale. In this paper, with reference to modern specimens and re-examination of charred material from Dja'de el-Mughara, Jerf el-Ahmar and Mureybet, we examine the criteria for identification and revise the results for charred caryopses and wild spikelet bases. We then present these new results which show that at the early Neolithic sites of Jerf el-Ahmar, Mureybet, Dja'de el-Mughara and Tell 'Abr 3 wild rye frequencies are much higher than einkorn but wild barley is the dominant cereal. This is followed by discussions of how and why wild rye may have been exploited during the early Neolithic and why rye disappears from Euphrates sites with the advent of mixed farming.
Journal of Archaeological Science 31:145-50. , 2004
Cereal grains recovered from recent excavations at two early Neolithic tenth millennium (BP non c... more Cereal grains recovered from recent excavations at two early Neolithic tenth millennium (BP non cal.) sites on the Euphrates were measured. The results presented as scatter diagrams showed that there was an increase in grain size between early and later levels. This led to the question of whether or not the changes were due to the effects of domestication. The data provided an opportunity to evaluate the use of measurements as a method to identify morphological domestication from early farming sites. Results were compared to domesticated specimens from a site dating to the end of the seventh millennium situated in the same geographical area and it was found that the upper size range from the Neolithic levels corresponded well with domesticated grains. Data from some published sites was also plotted. The factors affecting grain size such as morphological domestication, charring, environmental factors and crop processing are discussed in relation to the results.
Charred plant remains from the sites of Tell Qaramel, Jerf el Ahmar, Dja’de and Tell ‘Abr situate... more Charred plant remains from the sites of Tell Qaramel, Jerf el Ahmar, Dja’de and Tell ‘Abr situated in northern Syria and dated to the tenth and ninth millennia cal b.c. demonstrate that a wide variety of wild pulses, cereals, fruits and nuts was exploited. Five lines of evidence suggest that cultivation was practised at three of the sites. (1) Wild einkorn, wild rye and lentils occur outside their natural habitats. (2) The founder crops barley, emmer and single-grained einkorn appear at different times. (3) An assemblage of weeds of cultivation was identified. (4) There is a gradual decrease in gathered plants such as small seeded grasses and Polygonum/Rumex. (5) Barley grains increase in breadth and thickness. Morphological domestication did not become established, perhaps because seed stock was regularly collected from wild stands. Charred rodent droppings indicate large-scale grain storage.
Vegetation History and Archaeobotany 14/4:534-541., 2005
In this article we examine the natural habitats and distribution of the six wild cereals: Triticu... more In this article we examine the natural habitats and distribution of the six wild cereals: Triticum urartu (wild urartu wheat), T. boeoticum aegilopoides (single-grained wild einkorn), T. boeoticum thaoudar (two-grained wild einkorn), T. dicoccoides (wild emmer wheat), Secale spp. (wild ryes) and Hordeum spontaneum (wild barley). A comparison of late Pleistocene/early Holocene archaeobotanical assemblages in the Near East with present-day distributions of wild cereals shows a good correlation. The regional variation in the ar-chaeobotanical cereal assemblages and the ensuing do-mestication provide evidence that different cereal species were domesticated independently in different areas. Some sites were not situated near wild cereal habitats and a few were located outside the limits of distribution, even accounting for moister climatic conditions. I argue here that current models which try to explain the shift to farming have tended to overemphasize the effect of the Younger Dryas climatic change. First, it would have had only a minor effect on cereal availability. Secondly, agriculture appears to have been established after the Younger Dryas. Thirdly, there is no evidence for a single centre of origin; agriculture arose in widely separated geographic and climatic regions. And fourthly, agriculture depends on stable climatic conditions which were not established until after the Younger Dryas.
This paper looks at new finds of early cultivation in the eastern Fertile Crescent and the region... more This paper looks at new finds of early cultivation in the eastern Fertile Crescent and the regional aspects of the origins og cultivation in the Near East.
Journal of Archaeological Science 4, 269-282., 1977
An extensive range of plant remains was recovered from seven Roman sites in London where waterlog... more An extensive range of plant remains was recovered from seven Roman sites in London where waterlogged conditions had resulted in good preservation. In the majority of cases the "artificial" nature of urban deposits precludes any objective ecological interpretation, since the allochthonous origin of the plant remains cannot he satisfactorily established. However, the presence of exotic plants in dated deposits is of both botanical and archaeological significance and is here artificially treated as an autonomous group. This varied group of plants (excluding carbonized cereals) is arranged according to their use and put in archaeological and botanical perspective. Species such as cucumber (Cucumis sativa), gold of pleasure (Came/inn .sntiva), peach (Prunuspersica), olive (Olea europaea) and millet (Panicrtm miliaceuru)
Analyses of charred remains and impressions of chaff in pisé (mudbrick) from the Neolithic sites ... more Analyses of charred remains and impressions of chaff in pisé (mudbrick) from the Neolithic sites of A-ratashen and Aknashen (sixth millennium cal B.C.) situated in the Ararat valley in Armenia demonstrate that naked barley and possible naked (free-threshing) wheat together with emmer and hulled barley were common. Two lesser known crucifers, Camelina microcarpa (false flax) and Alyssum desertorum (alyssum) were found in the form of crop processing residues. These were frequent in the pisé, indicating their use perhaps as an oil source. Lens culinaris (small-seeded lentil) and Vicia ervilia (bitter vetch) were recovered both as carbonized seeds and from crop processing residues in the pisé. False flax and bitter vetch were less common than alyssum and lentil. Two charred pips of Vitis vinifera (wild vine) were recovered, suggesting the early use of vines in the region. Flotation samples alone would have provided limited data; examination of crop processing residues used for tempering pisé provided important evidence of the plant economy at these two sites.
J. Ibañez (ed.) Le site néolithique de Tell Mureybet (Syrie du Nord), en hommage à Jacques Cauvin. BAR International Series, 1843 (1).103-114 , 2008
Le climat et la végétation actuels dans la région de Mureybet ont déjà été décrits (Willcox 1996 ... more Le climat et la végétation actuels dans la région de Mureybet ont déjà été décrits (Willcox 1996 ; Willcox et Roitel 1998 ; Helmer et al. 1998 ; van Zeist and Bakker-Heeres 1984). Rappelons qu'aujourd'hui la moyenne des précipitations est de 200 mm par an, mais on sait qu'il s'y ajoute une forte irrégularité interannuelle. La
De Méditerranée et d'ailleus... Mélanges offerts à Jean Guilaine. pp 693-710. Archives d'Ecologie Préhistorique. Toulouse., 2009
L'agriculture est facile à démontrer quand les céréales deviennent morphologiquement « domestique... more L'agriculture est facile à démontrer quand les céréales deviennent morphologiquement « domestiques », vers 8200 avant J.-C. cal., mais il reste toujours un doute pour les périodes plus anciennes. Cet article présente un résumé des indices archéobotaniques et archéologiques en faveur d'une agriculture prédomestique à Jerf el Ahmar, à partir de 9500 avant J.-C. cal. Dans ce site de l'horizon PPNA, on décèle des indices à travers l'amélioration des outils de récolte, le stockage communautaire et la fréquentation des rongeurs commensaux, l'utilisation massive de la balle des céréales dans l'architecture de terre et les modes organisés de préparation des céréales et des légumineuses. Tous ces indices, combinés avec les observations d'ordre archéobotanique, suggèrent une intensification de l'utilisation des céréales qui s'expliquerait par leur culture, à proximité de l'installation.
Les données récentes des analyses anthracologiques provenant des sites du Proche et Moyen-Orient ... more Les données récentes des analyses anthracologiques provenant des sites du Proche et Moyen-Orient montrent que la zone de forêt-steppe pénétrait au Néolithique dans la zone de la steppe actuelle. Les données sont incomplètes, mais une corrélation avec les données carpologiques et palynologiques vient à l'appui de cette interprétation. Des importations de bois pourraient être responsables de la présence de quelques taxons à faible fréquence : durant l'Age du Bronze nous en avons des indices en Mésopotamie. Ce n'est qu'à partir des périodes historiques que l'on perçoit les premiers indices de déboisement.
Archaeobotany and Vegetation History. 5:143-152., 1996
Archaeobotanical results based on a limited number of samples from three aeeramie sites dating fr... more Archaeobotanical results based on a limited number of samples from three aeeramie sites dating from 9800 to 7800 B.P., which are under excavation in the valley of the Middle Euphrates, are discussed. The finds are presented simply by presence, and are compared to the contemporary vegetation and finds from similar sites. Carbonised plant remains recovered by flotation from levels dated to between 9800 and 9200 B.P. (Dja'de and Jerf al Ahmar) indicate that wild cereals (einkorn wheat, rye and barley) and pulses (lentils, pea and bitter vetch) were exploited. Other plants such as wild grasses, Pistacia, wild almond and oak, suggest that the local vegetation provided a rich diversity of resources. A study of possible weed taxa is being carried out in order to see whether this assemblage could be used to identify the cultivation of morphologically wild cereals for this period. Ninth millennium B.P. levels at Halula see the appearance of domestic crops such as emmer, naked wheat and barley, but wild-type cereals persist. The cultivars appear to have been introduced from elsewhere and later ninth millennium B.P. species include olive and flax. Ash, vine, maple, plane, alder and elm from the gallery forest, wild rye, wild einkorn, deciduous oak, wild almond , Pistacia, and Pyrus, from the hinterland, indicate cooler conditions.
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Papers by George Willcox
the occupants were harvesting and processing barley 1000 years in advance of its
domestication. Rows of querns installed in square stone and daub buildings leave no
doubt that this was a community dedicated to the systematic production of food from wild cereals. Given the plausible suggestion that barley was being cultivated, the site opens a window onto a long period of pre-domestic agriculture. Rye was also harvested, its chaff used to temper mud walls
Shillourokambos a été déjà publiée dans un rapport préliminaire
(Willcox 2000) et dans la publication de secteur 1
(Willcox 2011). Nous présentons ici les découvertes faites
dans le secteur 31 et plaçons l’ensemble des résultats
archéobotaniques du site par rapport aux résultats récents
provenant des sites de Klimonas (Vigne et al. 2012) et Aios
Yiorkis (Lucas et al. 2012).
Les méthodes utilisées et une description de la végétation
actuelle ont été développées dans les publications précédentes,
mais il sera intéressant d’en rappeler certains aspects.
La matière organique ne se conserve pas dans les sédiments
archéologiques de Shillourokambos. Elle se décompose,
s’hydrolyse ou s’oxyde rapidement dans les
sédiments qui sont un milieu en aérobie biologiquement
actifs depuis leur formation. Nos vestiges végétaux se
limitent à des restes carbonisés ou minéralisés ou à les
empreintes encore observables dans la terre à bâtir. Les
restes carbonisés sont conservés seulement à partir d’environ
80 cm de profondeur et rarement dans les puits. La
minéralisation est très rare et s’observe uniquement dans les
puits. Les empreintes dans la terre à bâtir ne se conservent
que lorsque la terre est brulée. De ce fait nos données sont
extrêmement limitées quantitativement et qualitativement.
the occupants were harvesting and processing barley 1000 years in advance of its
domestication. Rows of querns installed in square stone and daub buildings leave no
doubt that this was a community dedicated to the systematic production of food from wild cereals. Given the plausible suggestion that barley was being cultivated, the site opens a window onto a long period of pre-domestic agriculture. Rye was also harvested, its chaff used to temper mud walls
Shillourokambos a été déjà publiée dans un rapport préliminaire
(Willcox 2000) et dans la publication de secteur 1
(Willcox 2011). Nous présentons ici les découvertes faites
dans le secteur 31 et plaçons l’ensemble des résultats
archéobotaniques du site par rapport aux résultats récents
provenant des sites de Klimonas (Vigne et al. 2012) et Aios
Yiorkis (Lucas et al. 2012).
Les méthodes utilisées et une description de la végétation
actuelle ont été développées dans les publications précédentes,
mais il sera intéressant d’en rappeler certains aspects.
La matière organique ne se conserve pas dans les sédiments
archéologiques de Shillourokambos. Elle se décompose,
s’hydrolyse ou s’oxyde rapidement dans les
sédiments qui sont un milieu en aérobie biologiquement
actifs depuis leur formation. Nos vestiges végétaux se
limitent à des restes carbonisés ou minéralisés ou à les
empreintes encore observables dans la terre à bâtir. Les
restes carbonisés sont conservés seulement à partir d’environ
80 cm de profondeur et rarement dans les puits. La
minéralisation est très rare et s’observe uniquement dans les
puits. Les empreintes dans la terre à bâtir ne se conservent
que lorsque la terre est brulée. De ce fait nos données sont
extrêmement limitées quantitativement et qualitativement.