Books by Andrés Teira Brión
Este libro pretende ser un apoyo a la arqueología de campo, estableciendo criterios y procedimien... more Este libro pretende ser un apoyo a la arqueología de campo, estableciendo criterios y procedimientos de recogida, muestreo y conservación para los materiales arqueobotánicos: carbones, maderas, semillas...
Ancient agriculture by Andrés Teira Brión
SPAL - Revista de Prehistoria y Arqueología, 2021
Recent archaeobotanical data published in the northwest of the Iberian peninsula make it possible... more Recent archaeobotanical data published in the northwest of the Iberian peninsula make it possible to trace the evolution of vine cultivation with distinctive chronological patterns and internal characteristics. Pollen, carpological and charcoal analyses have identified the presence of Vitis vinifera subsp. sylvestris in the natural environment and its use by protohistoric communities. In the Roman period, the assemblages of some sites suggest the simultaneous cultivation of domestic vines –Vitis vinifera subsp. vinifera– and wild ones. In addition, the first settlements specializing in wine production appeared in the south of the region. These indicate changes in the management of the vine. Vineyard would be linked to agricultural establishments owned by families with a high social status located in rural areas or near urban settlements. These large owners would probably continue to control the commercialisation of wine surplus in the Early Middle Ages.
Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research, 2020
Background and Aims
Vitis vinifera seeds from one Medieval and two Roman‐era archaeological site... more Background and Aims
Vitis vinifera seeds from one Medieval and two Roman‐era archaeological sites in Galicia (north‐western Spain) were morphologically compared to seeds of different cultivated varieties (V. vinifera subsp. sativa ) in the same areas and with those of wild grapevines (V. vinifera subsp. sylvestris ) from different parts of Spain and the French Basque Country.
Methods and Results
The length and width at different points of each seed were measured and different relationships determined from these values for later comparison. Morphologically, the seeds from the Roman sites appeared to belong to both V. vinifera subsp. sylvestris and V. vinifera subsp. sativa. Those from the Medieval site were similar to present cultivars.
Conclusions
The close relationships of certain currently cultivated varieties to some of the Roman samples indicate these varieties may be older than the others examined. Indeed, the seeds of the variety Albariño showed similar morphometric characteristics to the seeds found at both the Roman and Medieval sites. Since Albariño is traditionally cultivated in the same area as these sites, this variety may have been grown as long ago as Roman times. Significance of the Study This work throws light on the origin and domestication of cultivated grapevine varieties during Roman and Medieval times.
Ethnoarchaeobotany by Andrés Teira Brión
Millet and what else? The wider context of the adoption of millet cultivation in Europe, 2022
In this paper, I propose a reassessment of some widespread archaeological claims about millet agr... more In this paper, I propose a reassessment of some widespread archaeological claims about millet agrarian practices – double rotation and an increase in cereal production – based on conclusions derived from ethnographic analogy. The reflections presented here arose from experiences during fieldwork, which has transformed my perception of the material record of and historical sources on millet farming. The results of the ethnoarchaeological investigation, carried out within the project ‘New cultivars, new landscapes: Agriculture and anthropisation of the first farming societies in northern Iberia (2012‑2014)’, have made it possible to recognise
the different stages of the chaîne opératoire of millet production and processing, as well as millets’ uses in human food and animal feed.
Charbonnage, charbonniers, charbonnières. Confluence de regards autour d'un artisanat méconnu, 2018
This paper describes an interdisciplinary approach to wood charcoal production in the Iberian Pen... more This paper describes an interdisciplinary approach to wood charcoal production in the Iberian Peninsula, which draws on archaeological, archaeobotanical, ethnographic and historical evidence from a chaîne opératoire perspective. For this purpose, several samples from the charcoal kiln of Folgoso (Galicia, Spain) were studied. The archaeological excavation of this site enabled the comprehensive description of the characteristics of the kiln: location, dimensions, characteristics of stratigraphic units, etc. The archaeobotanical analysis of the samples consisted of taxonomic identification, as well as the consideration of other wood anatomical characteristics: part of the plant present (stem, twig, root), minimum diameter, age of plant part, season of cutting, and also different types of alterations related to the combustion process (radial cracks, vitrification, etc.).
Premio Xermade na Historia, 2017
Having found Setaria italica (foxtail millet) and Panicum miliaceum (broomcorn millet) still bein... more Having found Setaria italica (foxtail millet) and Panicum miliaceum (broomcorn millet) still being cultivated traditionally in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, we carried out ethnographic interviews with farmers to help us document an agricultural process on the verge of extinction. Crop processing of S. italica and P. miliaceum varies depending on the use of either plant. In Asturias, Setaria italica is harvested while green and used as fodder. In Galicia and in the north of Portugal, P. miliaceum grain is used mainly for human consumption. This distribution of millet in the north of the Iberian Peninsula appears to have been the case in prehistory too, although this will need to be confirmed by future research.
Protohistoric archaeobotany by Andrés Teira Brión
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2023
This paper deals with the so-called modular kilns, ceramic structures characteristic of the Bronz... more This paper deals with the so-called modular kilns, ceramic structures characteristic of the Bronze and Iron Age periods in various regions of Europe. Despite the interest shown in these material forms in recent years, their exact function is still unclear. However, the dominant interpretation within archaeological research has tended to associate them with pottery production. While this hypothesis has been based mainly on macro-observations derived from settlement surveys and excavations, our aim is to go further by exploring through a materialanalytical approach. A set of samples from the sites of A Fontela and Castromao, in northwestern Iberia, have been analysed using a set of methods (mineralogical, geochemical, archaeobotanical and organic chemical) to evaluate the hypotheses on production and use. Although the samples share a similar morphology and technology, the analytical results reveal differences in the manufacturing processes between the two sites studied. Local clays, crop by-products and wild plants from the surrounding areas were used in the modelling, but with different purposes. In some cases, cereal chaff was added as a temper. Organic-chemical analysis revealed traces of oils of vegetal origin, with high levels of C 18:1 fatty acid (probably mostly oleic acid) and its degradation products, together with phytosterols, such as β-sitosterol, stigmasterol, campesterol, and δ-5-avenasterol. The organic compounds are compatible with the processing or culinary transformation of acorns, that appeared persistently in hearths, pots, and storage structures during Late Prehistory in the region.
This work presents the first results of carbon isotope (δ13C) analysis of seeds (Triticum dicoccu... more This work presents the first results of carbon isotope (δ13C) analysis of seeds (Triticum dicoccum, Triticum aestivum/durum, Triticum cf. spelta and Hordeum vulgare L.) from archaeological contexts from the settlement sites of A Fontela and Castrovite in Northwest Iberia, which cover a chronological range between 1050 cal BC and 25 cal AD. In addition, 142 present-day wheat seeds from 16 plots cultivated in 2014 and 2015 across this region were analysed. The results obtained for A Fontela and Castrovite were − 23.6‰ (between − 25.3 and − 21.4) and − 24.0‰ (between − 26.6 and − 21.8), respectively. Taking into account changes in the isotope composition of atmospheric carbon (δ13Catm), the Δ13C values were 17.5‰ (A Fontela) and 18.0‰ (Castrovite). In Castrovite, differences between storage facilities were detected, which could be related to the exploitation of different areas for cultivation, possibly indicating a family-based organization of agricultural production.
Pits are the most common archaeological features in late prehistoric Europe, yet their function a... more Pits are the most common archaeological features in late prehistoric Europe, yet their function and formation dynamics remain obscure. This paper draws on stratigraphy, contextual observations, and a novel analytical protocol to address such topics. The article presents an interdisciplinary and comparative post-excavation procedure to evaluate some of the most abundant items found in prehistoric pits, combining a taphonomical approach to the analysis of ceramics, charcoal, and carpology. This procedure provided new insights into the use-lives of a selection of five pits from an open-air site in Galicia (NW Iberia), which was occupied intermittently during the second millennium cal. BCE. An early use as silos is posited, and their final closure entailed cultural practices and preferences whose material fingerprint has been identified via multivariate analysis.
A B S T R A C T The wide and diverse array of palaeoenvironmental studies that were carried out i... more A B S T R A C T The wide and diverse array of palaeoenvironmental studies that were carried out in Northwestern Iberia indicate that the Bronze Age corresponds to a phase of great landscape changes. Strong deforestation and erosion episodes are key-features and they are usually assumed to be anthropogenic. The archaeological and archaeobotanical records demonstrate that these trends are coincident with modifications on settlement pattern and agricultural systems. This work consists on a thorough revision of carpological data from 19 Bronze Age sites in order to understand agricultural practices in the region in this time period. Results reveal the increasing relevance of Panicum miliaceum and decreasing presence of naked barley which contrast with the previous periods. Carpological remains are not available in Early Bronze Age sites. Middle Bronze Age crops include naked and hulled forms of barley (Hordeum spp.) and wheat (Triticum spp.). Only one site provided occasional grains of Panicum miliaceum. Non-cereal crops are rare and comprise Linum, Papaver, Pisum sativum and Vicia faba. Still, there are few Middle Bronze Age sites with crop macroremains. Late Bronze Age sites with carpological remains of crops are more abundant but no new crop is added. This is the phase when Panicum miliaceum became a conspicuous crop in regional agricultural strategies. Overall, a small diversity of pulses is recorded throughout the Bronze Age, contrasting with other Iberian regions. Acorns (Quercus) are the only wild fruits consistently present in the archaeological sites and they probably had some relevance within the regional subsistence. It was possible to detect changes on settlement and agricultural levels and suggest how these are related to environmental and social changes. It is argued that agricultural productivity increased and pits were the main storage facilities used by Bronze Age communities. Although these structures are abundant in several sites, caution is needed while interpreting them and their fills. Only in one site Freixo remains of crops were found in primary deposition in a storage pit. Increasing agricultural productivity, including functionally diverse winter and spring crops seems to have been connected to settlement diversification. This trend may have led to a more complementary and profuse use of local resources, enhancing the anthropogenic changes in the landscape mentioned above. This was a further step in the territorialisation process that would eventually lead to the complex scenario recorded in the Iron Age. Ramil RegoChange Ramil Rego to Ramil-Rego. Family name composed by 2 names. e , Andrs Teira BrinChange Teira Brión to Teira-Brión f , Ins Lpez-Driga g , Antnio Lima h , Rubim Almeida iChange filiation. Maintain letter i but add letters a and b (P.R. RegoChange Ramil Rego to Ramil-Rego. Family name composed by 2 names.); [email protected] (A.T. BrinChange Teira Brión to Teira-Brión); [email protected] (I. Lpez-Driga); [email protected] (A. Lima); [email protected] (R. Almeida)
gepn.eu
Agriculture was one of the most frequent topicsin the beginning of the archaeology of the Iron Ag... more Agriculture was one of the most frequent topicsin the beginning of the archaeology of the Iron Age in Galicia. The first publications referred to Strabon, who speaks in general of the people o f northern Iberia. His texts give us an image of an underdeveloped agriculture, unlike the Mediterranean one. This initial assessment changed throughout the twentieth century thanks to the progress of the excavation of new sites and the the application of spatial analysis in archaeology, and also to two objects of study: the tools, the seeds and fruits.
Roman and medieval archaeobotany by Andrés Teira Brión
Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, 2023
Towns were dynamic economic and political centers during the Middle Ages, giving rise to the emer... more Towns were dynamic economic and political centers during the Middle Ages, giving rise to the emergence of new social classes. As a result of their functions, a new relationship began to be forged with the rural world, which supplied towns with foodstuffs that satisfied new social demands. Archaeobotanical analysis (carpology) allows us to understand the flow of cash crops by tracing seeds and fruits produced in the countryside that were consumed in and redistributed from the towns. The study of four waterlogged contexts from medieval archaeological sites in the Kingdom of Galicia (Santiago de Compostela, Padrón, and Pontevedra) has provided a set of species that played a crucial role in the economy of the urban dwellers and that possibly were related to differential access or food preferences. Evidence for fruits (grapes, chestnuts, figs, apples, and cherries, among others), garden crops (melon), and cereals (foxtail millet, rye, naked wheat, and oat) has been documented. Broomcorn millet is particularly abundant, demonstrating that it was important for subsistence. Some of the species found (medlar, turnip/grelo) are novel in the archaeobotanical literature of the medieval period in the Iberian Peninsula.
Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, 2022
The Roman economy of the Iberian Peninsula has habitually been characterised in terms of prestige... more The Roman economy of the Iberian Peninsula has habitually been characterised in terms of prestige goods and economic activities such as mining, salting, and metallurgy. Apart from the trade in wine and oil, the economy of plant-based foods—less prestigious but more essential in everyday life—has commonly been marginalised in state-of-the-art reviews. The O Areal saltworks is exceptional in terms of the large number of organic materials it preserves, and the excellent state of that preservation. After its abandonment (end of the third/fourth century AD), the saltworks was briefly used as a dumping ground for the surrounding area. The site’s archaeobotanical remains, preserved under anoxic, waterlogged conditions, consist of the building materials used at the saltworks, tools and other artefacts, organic objects employed in activities such as fishing, and refuse. The assemblage suggests a wide diversity of species to have been introduced into northwestern Iberia during the Roman period, including Morus nigra (mulberry), Prunus persica (peach), Ficus carica (fig), Prunus domestica ssp. insititia (plum), Vitis vinifera (grapevine), and Cucumis melo (melon). The notable presence of other edible fruit species that normally grew wild during this period, such as Castanea sativa (chestnut), Juglans regia (walnut), Pinus pinea (stone pine), and Prunus avium (wild cherry) trees, might be related to the start of their cultivation.
Environmental Archaeology, 2018
Waterlogged woodcrafts and other plant remains were recovered at 65 Arcebispo Malvar Street (Pont... more Waterlogged woodcrafts and other plant remains were recovered at 65 Arcebispo Malvar Street (Pontevedra, Spain) from contexts from the 13th to 19th centuries AD, although most of the artefacts were concentrated in accumulations of organic remains dating to the 15th century AD. The site is located close to the harbour (Peirao da Ponte) and the wooden dock (A Prancha), and it is in an area closely associated with trade and fishing activities. Plant-based crafts and other organic remains were classified into five groups: timbers, containers, personal items, fishing implements, and miscellaneous artefacts. The great majority of items are related to timber building or even shipbuilding, including planks, beams, posts, stakes, pegs, trenails and wedges. Other objects, such as a plate/lid, a basket, a cup, stave-built containers, and combs, provide information about day-to-day life, trade, fishing activities, etc. The timber assemblage offers a unique opportunity to expand our knowledge about wood-working techniques and the selection of raw materials from the Middle Ages onwards, complementing the information already known from written sources. In addition, the identification of an oar made of Fagus sylvatica verifies the written evidence of their importation from other areas of the Iberian Peninsula, while the identification of a cup made from a coconut shell suggests the arrival of objects from tropical areas.
This paper presents an overview of the current state of research on Roman, Late Antique and medie... more This paper presents an overview of the current state of research on Roman, Late Antique and medieval agriculture in the Iberian Peninsula through the study of archaeobotanical samples (seeds and fruits) collected on a large number of rural and urban sites spread throughout Iberia's geography. It includes published and unpublished data. The plant taxa of economic interest are grouped into various categories: cereals, cereal chaff, legumes, domesticated fruits, oil/fibre plants, condiments and spices, and wild species. According to the data, naked wheats and hulled barley are the dominant cereal species throughout the Iberian Peninsula. There are, nonetheless, particularities like the prevalence of hulled wheats (mainly emmer and spelt) in the North-west. Cultivated fruits also show a great diversity, and new species such as Morus nigra or Prunus armeniaca appear for the first time in the archaeobotanical record. There are also novelties regarding herbs and spices.
The exceptional preservation conditions at the saltworks of O Areal has meant that o numerous car... more The exceptional preservation conditions at the saltworks of O Areal has meant that o numerous carpological remains have been recovered, which were connected to both the use of the salt works and to its phase of abandonment. The presence and introduction of various species indicates changes in woodland exploitation patterns, which reflect a different woodland management strategy –forestry– in NW Iberia.
The goal of this text is to present the results of the carpologic analysis from the Banco de Espa... more The goal of this text is to present the results of the carpologic analysis from the Banco de España excavation. The remains were preserved in a waterlogged environment, and they were deposited inside a detritus pit made in the filling of the first medieval ditch of Santiago de Compostela. Cereals and fruit trees are the most recovered taxa, as well as wild plants and vegetables such as the cucumber. The site is an exceptional example of the agrarian practices in the Middle Ages in Galicia.
Arkeogazte, 2013
This paper deals with consumption of fruits of Prunus avium/cerasus in northwestern Iberia during... more This paper deals with consumption of fruits of Prunus avium/cerasus in northwestern Iberia during historical period. The carpological remains studied have been obtained from four archaeological sites. While one of them is a Roman settlement, the remaining three are Medieval sites, two of which are in an urban context. Our main purpose is to develop an initial hypothesis on forest management and on ways of perceiving and using fruit trees in this region over that time.
References to the existence of historic remains in NW Iberian caves are frequent. However, archae... more References to the existence of historic remains in NW Iberian caves are frequent. However, archaeological research tends to focus on the search for evidence of older occupations, with little attention given to these historic levels. The aim of this article is to present the results of archaeobotanical analysis (charcoal analysis and carpology) from two caves in the eastern mountains of the province of Lugo – Cova do Xato and Cova Eirós – to determine the management of forest resources by the different communities living in them.
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Books by Andrés Teira Brión
Ancient agriculture by Andrés Teira Brión
Vitis vinifera seeds from one Medieval and two Roman‐era archaeological sites in Galicia (north‐western Spain) were morphologically compared to seeds of different cultivated varieties (V. vinifera subsp. sativa ) in the same areas and with those of wild grapevines (V. vinifera subsp. sylvestris ) from different parts of Spain and the French Basque Country.
Methods and Results
The length and width at different points of each seed were measured and different relationships determined from these values for later comparison. Morphologically, the seeds from the Roman sites appeared to belong to both V. vinifera subsp. sylvestris and V. vinifera subsp. sativa. Those from the Medieval site were similar to present cultivars.
Conclusions
The close relationships of certain currently cultivated varieties to some of the Roman samples indicate these varieties may be older than the others examined. Indeed, the seeds of the variety Albariño showed similar morphometric characteristics to the seeds found at both the Roman and Medieval sites. Since Albariño is traditionally cultivated in the same area as these sites, this variety may have been grown as long ago as Roman times. Significance of the Study This work throws light on the origin and domestication of cultivated grapevine varieties during Roman and Medieval times.
Ethnoarchaeobotany by Andrés Teira Brión
the different stages of the chaîne opératoire of millet production and processing, as well as millets’ uses in human food and animal feed.
Protohistoric archaeobotany by Andrés Teira Brión
Roman and medieval archaeobotany by Andrés Teira Brión
Vitis vinifera seeds from one Medieval and two Roman‐era archaeological sites in Galicia (north‐western Spain) were morphologically compared to seeds of different cultivated varieties (V. vinifera subsp. sativa ) in the same areas and with those of wild grapevines (V. vinifera subsp. sylvestris ) from different parts of Spain and the French Basque Country.
Methods and Results
The length and width at different points of each seed were measured and different relationships determined from these values for later comparison. Morphologically, the seeds from the Roman sites appeared to belong to both V. vinifera subsp. sylvestris and V. vinifera subsp. sativa. Those from the Medieval site were similar to present cultivars.
Conclusions
The close relationships of certain currently cultivated varieties to some of the Roman samples indicate these varieties may be older than the others examined. Indeed, the seeds of the variety Albariño showed similar morphometric characteristics to the seeds found at both the Roman and Medieval sites. Since Albariño is traditionally cultivated in the same area as these sites, this variety may have been grown as long ago as Roman times. Significance of the Study This work throws light on the origin and domestication of cultivated grapevine varieties during Roman and Medieval times.
the different stages of the chaîne opératoire of millet production and processing, as well as millets’ uses in human food and animal feed.
The use of archaeobotanical studies in medieval archaeological sites from Galicia, is not usual, except for occasional charcoal analyses. Pollen and phytolith identification in relation to storage pits is also rare, not only for this period but also for archaeological research in NW Iberia in general. The identification of several pits in the archaeological site of Grandes Almacenes El Pilar (Santiago de Compostela, Galicia) offered the opportunity to apply these types of analyses and in this way shed more light on the use of these structures at the end of the Early Medieval period in Santiago, a time when the city was developing and expanding. This study provides new information on the use of these features as storage pits for wheat, and shows the potential of pollen and phytolith analyses in complementing typological studies and aiding in interpretation."
The charcoal analysis indicates that four were the most ubiquitous and abundant taxa: oak (Quercus sp. deciduous), Fabaceae, alder (Alnus sp.) and hazel (Corylus avellana). The micro-spatial distribution of the woody taxa indicates the existence of differences in the consumption of wood resources between structures. The charcoal assemblages include remains of domestic firewood and also manufactured wood and wood-crafting debris. The concentration of woodcrafts and wood-working debris in a court from a domestic unit indicates the existence of a specialized area of activity where wooden objects were manufactured.
The carpological remains had been used also to determine activity areas. The crops identified in the samples were wheat (Triticum sp.), barley (Hordeum vulgare), broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum), foxtail millet (Setaria italica) and beans (Vicia faba). It is of the utmost interest their distribution around two domestics units. The same taxa have been identified in storage areas inside and outside the buildings and correspond probably with two different stages of crops processing.