Agrarian legacies and innovations in the Nabataean territory

The Nabataeans, a nomadic people inhabiting the southern Near East from the end of the 4th century BC, are mainly known for their trade activities along the Incense Road. Recent scientific advances have shown the importance of agro-pastoral activities within the Nabataean kingdom. However, few studies have addressed the identification of the existing agrosystems and the kinds of associated plant production. This paper focuses on agrarian plant resources exploited in the Nabataean territory by analysing the carpological and anthracological data from four sites (Bosra, Dharih, Petra, Hegra) presented Nabataean and Roman layers dated between the 2nd century BC and the end of the 3rd century AD. The results obtained show the existence of farming systems combining annual and perennial crops, responding efficiently to different economic needs (including food, technical raw materials and fuel). Fruit trees were important and their distribution mainly correlated with climate and topographic constraints. Semi-arid sites developed Mediterranean agroforestry systems while the only arid area site developed an oasis agrosystem. Crop production was directly inherited from preceding periods while the presence of cotton in the Hegra oasis reflects innovative agricultural and technical processes probably related to Nabataean trade activities.Les Nabatéens, peuple nomade à l’origine, s’installant dans le sud du Proche-Orient à partir de la fin du ive siècle av. J.-C., sont surtout connus pour leurs activités marchandes le long de la route de l’encens. Les avancées scientifiques récentes montrent l’importance des activités agro-pastorales à l’époque nabatéenne, mais peu d’études s’intéressent à la définition des agrosystèmes existants et aux types de productions végétales associées. Cet article propose donc de faire le point sur ce que nous savons des ressources végétales agricoles exploitées sur le territoire nabatéen par l’analyse des données carpologiques et anthracologiques de quatre sites (Bosra, Dharih, Pétra, Hégra) présentant des niveaux nabatéens et romains datés entre le iie siècle av. J.-C. et la fin du iiie siècle apr. J.-C. Les résultats soulignent l’existence de systèmes agricoles mixtes associant cultures annuelles et pérennes, répondant efficacement aux différents besoins économiques (notamment alimentaires, techniques et combustibles). Les fruitiers y tiennent une place importante, et leur distribution est étroitement corrélée aux contraintes climatiques et topographiques. Les sites soumis à un climat semi-aride développent des systèmes agroforestiers méditerranéens tandis que le seul site soumis à un climat aride présente un agrosystème oasien. Les productions végétales sont directement héritées des périodes précédentes tandis que la présence de coton dans l’oasis de Hégra souligne une forme d’innovation agricole et technique probablement en lien avec l’activité commerciale nabatéenne

Marijke Van der Veen, Consumption, Trade and Innovation. Exploring the Botanical Remains from the Roman and Islamic Ports at Quseir al-Qadim, Egypt (Journal of African Archaeology Monograph Series 6)

C’est d’abord la rareté des découvertes qui attire l’œil : les restes d’un citron pressé à l’époque médiévale ; des gousses d’ail romaines ; une peau de banane, témoins anciens de gestes alimentaires compris de tous. Puis l’on se rend vite compte que cet ouvrage consacré à l’étude des vestiges botaniques de Quseir al-Qadim, ancien port romain et islamique des bords de la mer Rouge en Égypte, réunit un grand nombre de qualités comblant la curiosité scientifique aussi bien du néophyte que du sp..

The multipurpose date palm 'tree': anatomical identification of modern palm stems and practical application in the archaeological site of Madâ'in Sâlih (Saudi Arabia)

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Tightening the thread from seed to cloth. New enquiries in the archaeology of Old World cotton

« Un homme qui passe remarque un arbuste dont les branches se terminent par des flocons blancs. On peut imaginer qu’il approche la main. L’espèce humaine vient de faire connaissance avec la douceur du coton. »« Pour comprendre les mondialisations, celles d’hier et celle d’aujourd’hui, rien ne vaut l’examen d’un morceau de tissu. Sans doute parce qu’il n’est fait que de fils et de liens, et des voyages de la navette. »Erik Orsenna 2006 – Voyage au pays du coton, 11-12, 17 Introduction In these..

Ex oriente luxuria (I). Introduction : comment définir l'objet de luxe ?

Report of the first workshop held at the Ecole normale supérieure (Paris) and organized by Jean Trinquier and Pierre SchneiderCompte-rendu de la première journée d'études organisée par Jean Trinquier et Pierre Schneider le 10 novembre 2014, à l'École normale supérieure de Pari

Strontium isotope evidence for Pre-Islamic cotton cultivation in Arabia

With a view to understanding the dynamics of ancient trade and agrobiodiversity, archaeobotanical remains provide a means of tracing the trajectories of certain agricultural commodities. A prime example is cotton in Arabia, a plant that is non-native but has been found in raw seed and processed textile form at Hegra and Dadan, in the region of al-ʿUlā, north-western Saudi Arabia—sites of critical importance given their role in the trans-Arabian trading routes during Antiquity. Here, we demonstrate that the measurement of strontium isotopes from pre-cleaned archaeological cotton is methodologically sound and is an informative addition to the study of ancient plant/textile provenance, in this case, putting forward evidence for local production of cotton in oasis agrosystems and possible external supply. The presence of locally-grown cotton at these sites from the late 1st c. BCE–mid 6th c. CE is significant as it demonstrates that cotton cultivation in Arabia was a Pre-Islamic socio-technical feat, while imported cotton highlights the dynamism of trade at that time

Orphan crops of archaeology-based crop history research

Agrobiodiversity is central to sustainable farming worldwide. Cultivation, conservation and reintroduction of diverse plant species, including ‘forgotten’ and ‘underutilized’ crops, contribute to global agrobiodiversity, living ecosystems and sustainable food production. Such efforts benefit from traditional and historical knowledge of crop plants' evolutionary and cultural trajectories. This review is a first attempt at systematically gauging species representativeness in studies of archaeological plant remains. Results indicate that, in addition to discipline-specific methodological sources of bias, modern agricultural biases may replicate themselves in crop history research and influence understandings of ‘forgotten crops’. Recognizing these biases is an initial stride towards rectifying them and promoting agrobiodiversity in both research and practical applications. Summary: So-called ‘forgotten’ or ‘orphan’ crops are an important component of strategies aimed at preserving and promoting biodiversity. Knowledge of historical cultivation, usage, and geographic and evolutionary trajectories of plants, that is, crop history research, is important for the long-term success of such efforts. However, research biases in the crops chosen for study may present hurdles. This review attempts to systematically identify patterns in crop species representativeness within archaeology-based crop history research. A meta-analysis and synthesis of archaeobotanical evidence (and lack thereof) is presented for 268 species known to have been cultivated for food prior to 1492 CE from the Mediterranean region to South Asia. We identified 39 genera with known crop plants in this geographical and historical context that are currently absent from its archaeobotanical record, constituting ‘orphan’ crops of archaeobotany. In addition, a worldwide synthesis of crop species studied using geometric morphometric, archaeogenetic and stable isotope analyses of archaeological plant remains is presented, and biases in the species represented in these disciplines are discussed. Both disciplinary methodological biases and economic agenda-based biases affecting species representativeness in crop history research are apparent. This study also highlights the limited geographic diffusion of most crops and the potential for deeper historical perspectives on how crops become marginalized and ‘forgotten’

Casser la graine et rembobiner l’histoire: utilisation, production et circulation du lin et du coton au Proche et Moyen-Orient ancien.

Retracer le fil d’une histoire sans fils, telle est l’entreprise à laquelle s’attelle cette année le séminaire d’actualité des méthodes et terrains au Proche-Orient ancien du laboratoire Archéorient. Comment évoquer le textile, lorsque les vestiges archéologiques de vêtements, tissus, cordelettes ou simples fils, soumis à l’action inexorable du temps, se font si rares ? Parmi les différents chemins pouvant être empruntés pour raconter cette histoire en filigrane, le présent billet éclaire cel..

Chauffer et construire dans le désert oriental romain (1er-3e s. ap. J.-C.) : l’étude des bois et du charbon de bois

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