La neolitització de Grècia. Un interès dels colonitzadors?

En les següents línies es pretén incidir en la necessària participació de les dades carpològiques en les anàlisis sobre la neolitització de qualsevol espai, sobretot quan es parla de períodes aceràmics, ja que són la prova definitiva per parlar de domesticació de vegetals. En el cas de Grècia sembla factible l'existència d'aquesta fase, però la falta d'estudis en el tema deixa coixa qualsevol possible teoria.On the following lines it is expected to focus on the necessary participation of botanycal data in neolitization studies in any place, specially when we are talking about aceramic periods, because they are the key proof to talk about plants domestication. The case of Greece seems to suit this condition of an aceramic fase, but the lack of studies on the subject doesn't allow any theory to pretend to be solid

Experimental archaeology as a resource for approaching formation processes of seed assemblages. First results and future perspectives

El propòsit d’aquest article és obtenir una primera aproximació a certs processos de formació del registre arqueobotànic. Per a aquest experiment s’ha treballat amb dues species: Triticum aestivum s. l. (5130 restes) i Lens culinaris (1478 restes). El primer objectiu és avaluar com la combustió afecta les diverses propietats de les granes quan conjunts de restes són exposats a les mateixes condicions controlades. El segon és comparar dos contextos deposicionals: un en el qual les restes quedin exposades a les condicions atmosfèriques i un altre en el qual s’enterri les restes en fosses. Finalment, es pretenen analitzar els efectes produïts en les granes per l’ús de diferents tècniques de recuperació: excavant amb un paletí o amb un tornavís; i tractant el sòl per flotació o mitjançant el rentat per columna de garbells. S’ha utilitzat un sistema de caracterització resta-per-resta per tal de descriure tots els canvis en les propietats de les granes després de cada fase de l’experiment. La carbonització de conjunts de diferent quantitat mostra algunes diferències que haurien de ser tingudes en compte quan s’interpreta el registre arqueològic.The aim of this paper is to have a first approach to certain formation processes of the archaeobotanical record. For the first experiment I worked with two species: Triticum aestivum s. l. (5130 items) and Lens culinaris (1478 items). The first objective is to evaluate how charring affects the several properties of the grains when big assemblages are exposed to the same controlled conditions. The second one is to compare two different depositional contexts: leaving the grains exposed to open air conditions and burying the assemblage inside pits. Finally, I aimed to analyze the effects produced on the grains by using different recovery techniques: excavating with a trowel or with a screwdriver; and treating the soil by flotation or by water-sieving. A seed-by-seed characterization system was used in order to describe all the changes in the properties of the grains after each stage of the experiment. Charring of assemblages of different quantity of grains shows some differences that should be considered when interpreting the archaeobotanical record

Insect pests of pulse crops and their management in Neolithic Europe

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

Un espacio de cultivo urbano en al-Andalus: Madîna Turṭûŝa (Tortosa) antes de 1148

El objetivo del artículo es determinar qué espacios de cultivo y pastoreo se gestionaron desde la ciudad andalusí de Tortosa en su entorno inmediato, cómo fueron creados y qué tipo de plantas se cultivaron. Además, se estudia el impacto que tuvo la conquista feudal (1148). Para ello se ha contado con una abundante documentación escrita posterior a la conquista cristiana y con trabajos arqueológicos. La realización de prospecciones arqueológicas, siguiendo el método de la «arqueología hidráulica» y el tratamiento de sedimentos procedentes de diversas excavaciones realizadas recientemente en el casco urbano de Tortosa para obtener restos carpológicos, han permitido comparar los tres registros (textual, espacial y carpológico) que han resultado ser muy coherentes. Además, se han identificado las zonas de cultivo de las diferentes especies documentadas. Al norte de la madîna, bordeando el río Ebro, se extendía la huerta, regada mediante norias de sangre que extraían el agua de pozos y donde predominaban los cultivos arbóreos y hortícolas. Al sur de la madîna un extenso meandro del río bordea una zona conocida en los documentos escritos como Les Arenes. Esta área fue drenada y acondicionada para el cultivo del cereal y la vid principalmente. Más al sur se extendía el «prado», según los documentos, un espacio de marjal que proporcionaba pasto para los rebaños.The aim of this paper is to identify what types of farming and shepherding existed around the al‐Andalus city of Tortosa, how they developed and what varieties of plants were cultivated there. The impact of the feudal conquest of the city by the Christians in 1148 is also examined. For these purposes a rich post‐conquest body of documentation has been examined and archaeological work has been carried out. The archaeological survey followed the method of hydraulic archaeology, and carpological remains were identified in the study of sediments from several archaeological excavations in the urban area of Tortosa. A significant level of coincidence was found in a comparison of the three types of records (textual, spatial, and carpological). Furthermore, the areas in which the various vegetal species were cultivated have been identified precisely. Along the River Ebro, to the north of the Arab city, was an irrigated orchard. In this area, fruit trees and vegetables were cultivated thanks to water wheels that drew from wells. To the south of the city, a large meander in the river defined an area known in written documentation as Les Arenes. This was drained and transformed into land for cereals and vineyards. According to the documents, a large marshy meadow is known to have existed further south and was used for shepherding flocks

Household storage, surplus and supra-household storage in prehistoric and protohistoric societies of the Western Mediterranean

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