Early evidence for the importance of legumes in nutrition
is limited by difficulties in the identification and
interpretation of pulse remains from archaeological
contexts.
The main aims of this work are to seek in a detailed
survey of legume seed micromorphology, criteria that can
be used i) for the identification of species and, ii) as
evidence of cultivation. Assessment of the role of SEM
in archaeobotany is a supplementary aim.
Archaeological evidence of pulses in the Old World is
first reviewed, followed by the rationale for the
selection of members of the tribe Vicieae as the species
researched.
The second part of the thesis is a background study of
the Vicieae and its four major genera Vicia, Lathyrus,
Lens and Pisum. Brief accounts of their taxonomy, seed
morphology and geographical distribution are followed by
an examination of traditional Old World systems of pulse
agronomy.
Chapter three concerns the material and methods of
research. The results are described qualitatively in
chapter four, and following multivariate analysis in
chapters five and six. The seventh chapter describes some
miscellaneous procedures.
The eighth chapter is a discussion of the results.
Identifications down to species level using seed
micromorphology are restricted to certain taxa, contrary
to some published reports; but allocation of specimens to
a higher taxonomic rank, using an array of criteria, is
usually more realistic. Most useful characters are found
in features in the hilar region. Clear evidence of
cultivation has only been observed in the genus Pisum.
Using SEM, similar data may be recorded equally in fresh
seeds and fragments of charred archaeological specimens.
It is concluded that seeds of the Vicieae usually do not
exhibit sufficient morphological differences for species
identification. Evidence for cultivation may rather be
sought in biochemical changes that facilitate control of
the germinationin seeds of cultigens. Future research
into pulse biochemistry and agronomy is anticipated