Where are the cereals? Contribution of phytolith analysis to the study of subsistence economy at the Trypillia site Maidanetske (ca. 3900-3650 BCE),central Ukraine

Phytolith analysis has been applied in one of the extraordinary Trypillia “mega-site” in central Ukraine. The site Maidanetske, dated to ca. 3900–3650 BCE, is composed of ca. 3000 houses, which were built of earth-based architecture. As these mega-sites were extremely large, their relatively short duration and their population dynamics are under debate. In this study, the focus is set on the detection of daily household activities, including cereal processing. Archaeological contexts have been sampled for phytoliths inside and outside houses, including daub fragments, grinding stones, vessels, floor surfaces and a pit filling. Phytolith records from layers above and below the archaeological contexts were also analysed. The results indicate that cereal by-products such as chaff from pooid cereals, were in use for specific purposes like daub tempering for house building. Thus cereals were a relevant part of the site subsistence economy despite the scarce preservation of archaeobotanical macro-remains. While chaff and straw suggest on-site processing of cereals, the location of processing is unclear. Since house floors and cultural layers are poorer in chaff phytoliths than expected, the future analysis of other special buildings for instance might help to detect specialised areas of processing apart from houses. Besides cereals thephytolith record attests also the presence of wild grasses with probable indication of steppe grassland components.Further investigation of soil sequences outside the site and comparison with modern reference material in future will help to assess the development of the grassland vegetation through time

Майданецьке 2013. Нові розкопки на трипільському мега-поселенні

In 2013 the first excavation campaign took place in Maidanetske by a joint interdisciplinary Ukrainian/ German team. Many aspects of the environment, economy and household organisation of Maidanetske and Trypillia mega-sites (Russian “Tripolye”) in general can now be discussed based on a new range of data. There are new arguments for an anthropogenically-induced transformation of the original forest steppe into steppe vegetation during the existence of Maidanetske. Numerous radiometric dates and typochronological discussions demonstrate that it is most probable that the houses of the concentric rings existed contemporarily, resulting in population calculations of approximately 15,000 inhabitants. Important new information on subsistence economy was gathered, especially through the analyses of botanical macro-remains and phytoliths. The excavations also revealed the spatial organisation of one “normal” domestic house(hold) and its “house place”, while two pits also indicate feasting and ritual activities, probably not within a single household, but a different ‘political’ supra-household level. In chronological terms the burning of houses around 3700 BCE is one ‘story’; burnt remains in pits (dating to the 39th century BCE) is a different ‘story’, perhaps linked to the deliberate (also ritual) deposition of earlier house remains