During the Islamic period (8th–15th centuries ce), the Iberian Peninsula emerged as a vibrant cultural crossroads, where Islamic influence reshaped farming and the economy. Latrines, cesspits and sewers, often overlooked in archaeological investigations, have proven to be rich repositories of organic remains, including seeds and fruits. These materials provide archaeobotanists with valuable insights into the diet, farming practices and biodiversity of the period. This study investigates the presence and diversity of plant remains preserved in Islamic latrines in Al-Andalus in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, a type of context that has been little researched so far. Analysis of these remains offers a unique perspective on daily life, farming and cultural interactions within these communities. This article discusses the plant remains from five archaeological sites in the region dated between the 10th and the 12th centuries ce. The samples yielded over 50,000 remains, including 25 cultivated taxa. Among these, previously unrecorded fruit trees such as Citrus sp. were identified, along with garden plants and spices including carrots, coriander, fennel and cumin. In addition, several wild plant taxa were found, and insect remains including Diptera (flies) and Curculionidae (weevils) were also recovered.
Charred food remains provide rare direct evidence for ancient culinary practices beyond the identification of cultivated or stored plants. In pre-Roman Dacia, such finds remain exceptionally uncommon, while most archaeobotanical studies focus primarily on isolated grains and storage deposits rather than processed food residues. This study analyses two compact charred cereal-rich aggregates recovered from the Dacian settlement of Șimleu Silvaniei-Cetate (north-western Romania), dated between the 1st century bc and the 1st century ad. The material was investigated through digital microscopy (Keyence VHX-700), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), comparative archaeobotanical analysis, and AMS radiocarbon dating of associated botanical remains. Both aggregates display dense and homogeneous carbonised matrices rich in small panicoid cereal caryopses associated with preserved lemma and palea fragments. The absence of crust-core differentiation, large vesicular pores, laminated baking surfaces, and extensive air voids excludes typical bread-like morphology and is instead consistent with wet-prepared cereal food. The analysed material is dominated by small millet-type cereals belonging to the Setaria/Panicum group. Sample 9 derives from the same domestic context as AMS-dated charred Vicia faba seeds, providing a robust chronological framework for interpretation. Although recent experimental studies demonstrate that compact millet aggregates may occasionally form through non-culinary charring processes, the combined evidence of archaeological context, botanical composition, and microstructural organisation is consistent with interpretation as processed cereal food remains. The study provides rare direct evidence for millet-based cereal processing in the Late Iron Age Dacian environment and offers a documented reference point for future comparative and experimental research on archaeological food aggregates.
We hypothesise that early farmers must have taken decisions on how to farm their crops as they spread from Southwest Asia into Europe. The investigation of agricultural practices of Early Neolithic (6400 to 5600 bce) communities in Southeast Europe is key to understand this process. The paper addresses this question based on the archaeobotanical analysis of three intensively sampled tell sites in Pelagonia (North Macedonia): Vlaho, Veluška Tumba and Vrbjanska Čuka. Vrbjanska Čuka and Veluška Tumba are located on potentially marshy flatlands of the valley, while Vlaho is on an elevated hill. The rich archaeobotanical assemblages on all sites offered a deep understanding of crop choice (based mostly on einkorn, barley, pea and lentil, with differences between Vlaho and the other sites). Previous qualitative evaluations of weed assemblages of the flatland sites pointed to permanent fields sown in spring (and possibly also autumn), but thorough investigation with advanced statistical approaches to cultivation intensity has not yet been performed. We filtered suitable samples for weed analysis and, by utilising functional traits of weeds (WeedEco R package), we compared our archaeobotanical dataset against the reference arable models. Our results suggest low-input farming in Pelagonia and, after ruling out the possibility that all potential weeds actually come from animal dung, we speculate about the possibility that the local environmental conditions and the limited labour force available for field disturbance can explain this pattern.
Within the Upper Danube Region, Heuneburg was a significant Iron Age trade hub between the Mediterranean and the northern Alps. This early Celtic hilltop, with its monumental architecture, fortified lower town, and extensive outer settlement, was home to several thousands of people at its peak and held a key position in Europe during the Hallstatt period. Various studies conducted through long-term research programs have revealed that Heuneburg experienced multiple phases of occupation (ca. 620–460 bc) yet regional-scale vegetation responses to the emergence of such an urban centre remain poorly understood. Using five lake pollen records within a 23 km radius, defined based on archaeological evidence of Heuneburg potential impact zone, we combine ordination analysis (NMDS), quantitative land cover modelling (REVEALS), and diversity indices to assess the spatiotemporal expression of anthropogenic impact from the Early Bronze Age to the end of La Tène period (ca. 2200–15 bc) around Heuneburg. Both NMDS and REVEALS showed recurrent phases of openness beginning in the Middle Bronze Age, with the most pronounced landscape opening during Hallstatt C–D (ca. 800–450 bc). This interval corresponds to marked declines in arboreal taxa (notably Fagus, Fraxinus, Ulmus, and Pinus), expansion of pioneer trees (Corylus, Betula), and increasing palynological diversity. Quercus slightly increases at several sites, suggesting selective maintenance or cultural preference by Iron Age communities. Diachronous vegetation responses indicate that the timing and intensity of openness varied by distance from Heuneburg, supporting differential settlement pressure across the hinterland. Our results demonstrate how emerging early Celtic urbanisation transformed regional vegetation patterns and provide a quantitative framework for linking settlement dynamics, land use intensity, and landscape resilience.
Natufian and Pre-Pottery Neolithic A (PPNA) site occupation and settlement patterns have often been considered strongly dependant on climatic conditions and the availability of biotic resources. However, the reasons for such choices and adaptation mechanisms remain largely unknown, often due to a lack of environmental information to contextualise human occupations in a diachronic perspective. In this study we present a palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of the plant communities between the Bølling–Allerød and the Early Holocene in the Ḥarrat al-Shām (the Black Desert) based on archaeobotanical data from Shubayqa 1, 3 and 6, a series of archaeological sites comprising Early to Late Natufian and Pre-pottery Neolithic occupations (14.6–11.5 ka bp). Our study includes the anthracological analysis of over 4,500 charcoal fragments, combined with the ecological classification of 32,500 seed/fruit remains. Our results reflect a lush environment in the now only seasonally flooded Qa’ Shubayqa. Perennial water bodies allowed for the existence of wetland and aquatic components such as Cyperaceae, flowering rush (Butomus umbellatus), pondweeds (Potamogeton sp.), reeds (Phragmites sp., Typha sp.), and woody taxa like tamarisk (Tamarix sp.), ash (Fraxinus sp.), poplar/willow (Salicaceae) and chastetree (Vitex sp.). The surrounding dryland steppe was dominated by grasses, low shrubs and occasional Irano-Turanian arboreal taxa like almond (Amygdalus sp.) and pistachio (Pistacia sp.). Overall, results reflect a stable availability of woody-plant resources from dryland steppe and wetland habitats between the Bølling–Allerød and the Early Holocene. While an increase in Irano-Turanian trees is recorded towards the end of the Younger Dryas and Early Holocene in the wood-charcoal assemblage.
This article presents the first systematic assessment of ethical concerns specific to archaeobotanical research, focusing on principles and values. Conducted by an international group of archaeobotanists, the study used an anonymous online survey to document experiences and perceptions within the archaeobotanical community with the aim of raising awareness, identifying prevalent good practices and noting points for improvement. The questionnaire included ten thematic blocks and 63 main questions that covered regulations and guidelines, archaeobotany in excavations, funding, credit and authorship, intellectual property and right to access material, engagement with local communities, research obstacles, misconduct, ecological footprint, and dissemination of research results. We received responses from 114 participants, and the results highlight key challenges, including limited systematic recovery and study of plant remains, scarce funding, unclear decision-making authority, recurrent research misconduct, insufficient benefits for local communities, and low visibility of archaeobotanical research in dissemination and outreach. Building on these findings, we propose a declaration of principles tailored to archaeobotany, outlining the collective commitments of our community. This framework emphasizes safeguarding archaeological plant remains, ethical and rigorous research practices, and equitable participation. By adhering to these principles, archaeobotanists can promote scientific knowledge whilst fostering inclusivity, transparency, and respect for all individuals and communities involved or affected by our research. In this way, the initiative aims to strengthen archaeobotany as a discipline and cultivate a more ethical, inclusive, and collaborative research culture for both current and future generations of archaeobotanists.
The present archaeobotanical investigation of the site of Jognakhera, a Bara culture settlement in the Ghaggar (probable Vedic Saraswati) river basin of northwestern India, reveals a range of crops consistent with the farming traditions of the Indus civilisation, indicating continuity beyond the Meghalayan drought (4.2 ka) in the upper Indus region. The Bara culture emerged at the same time as the late phase of the Indus Urban Period at around 2300 bce. We did macrobotanical analyses and directly dated grains and seeds of crops from the site to reconstruct the farming practices of this culture. The results show the predominance of the Indus crop package (both winter and summer crops), reflecting the persistence of Indus farming strategies during the late Holocene. The directly dated rice grain further suggests interaction with the Gangetic Plain (North Indian Plain), possibly through direct contacts or migration of people. Significant representation of legumes in the assemblages from both summer and winter crops indicate crop rotation. The crop and pottery assemblages from Jognakhera closely resemble those from the upper Indus valley and Painted Grey Ware sites, supporting cultural continuity rather than decline. The evidence implies an eastward migration of people from the lower Indus region during the late Holocene in response to environmental stress from a drier climate. Further excavations and systematic archaeobotanical investigations of Late Indus phase, Bara and Painted Grey Ware sites could provide further insights into migration and cultural continuity.
The Late Epipalaeolithic marks a pivotal period in the development of economic practices that ultimately culminated in plant-food production. Within this context, Natufian hunter-gatherers are often regarded as among the earliest sedentary communities, traditionally portrayed as reliant on wild cereals and as possible early cultivators. Shubayqa 1, a Natufian site in semi-arid northeastern Jordan spanning the Early and Late Natufian phases (14,600–11,500 cal bp), has yielded an exceptionally large and well-preserved archaeobotanical assemblage. In this study, we conduct taxonomic and taphonomic analyses, together with ethnobotanical classification and an assessment of seasonal plant availability, to re-evaluate Natufian plant use and to assess how plant exploitation strategies changed over time. The analysis of non-woody plant macroremains indicates a subsistence strategy strongly focused on wetland species, with Bolboschoenus (club-rush) tubers predominant during the Early Natufian (14,600–14,100 cal bp), followed by a shift in plant exploitation during the Late Natufian. The results further demonstrate that wild grasses, including Hordeum spontaneum and Triticum boeoticum/urartu, were likely locally available around the site, providing the first direct evidence for these taxa in the region. Pre-charring fragmentation patterns observed in Hordeum (barley), Triticum (wheat), and Stipa (feathergrass) suggest that grasses were processed and consumed as part of a broader plant-based subsistence strategy. The archaeobotanical evidence indicates possible year-round occupation during both the Early and Late Natufian periods, consistent with interpretations based on faunal remains. These results suggest that wetland plant resources played a key role in sustaining repeated and potentially prolonged occupations by providing a reliable food source in an otherwise semi-arid, resource-limited environment.
We analysed the spatio-temporal dynamics of Phoenix dactylifera (date palm) agrobiodiversity in the Negev desert, southern Levant, from the 3rd c. bce to the 10th c. ce. We applied linear measurements and Elliptic Fourier Descriptors to 2294 archaeological seeds from nine sites, and compared them with a modern reference collection of wild and cultivated Phoenix and previously published archaeological assemblages from Egypt and Libya. Seeds from the best-preserved assemblages were statistically indistinguishable in size from modern cultivated varieties and significantly larger than wild specimens. Across the Negev, 71
The Qinghai Lake watershed is a sensitive region for studying the interactions between past climate change, human activities, and the vegetation ecosystem in the northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Pollen and fungal spore records from lake sediments in the watershed can be used to reconstruct vegetation succession and pastoral activity. However, current research on the modern processes of pollen and fungal spores in this region remains limited, which impedes the accurate interpretation of stratigraphic records. This study, based on a systematic analysis of meadow and steppe topsoil, fluvial alluvium, river water, and lake surface sediments from the Erhai-Daotang River catchment in the southeastern Qinghai Lake watershed, aims to elucidate the assemblage characteristics, spatial distribution, dispersal patterns, and indicative significance of pollen and fungal spores. Our results demonstrate that pollen assemblages accurately differentiate local vegetation: steppe topsoil is dominated by Artemisia pollen, whereas meadow soils are characterized by Cyperaceae pollen. Within the catchment, Artemisia, Aster-type, and Chenopodiaceae pollen, alongside spores of coprophilous fungi including Sporormiella spp., Urocystis sp., and Sordaria spp. serve as effective indicators of grazing pressure. Among non-coprophilous or obligate coprophilous fungi, Glomus spp. and Monodictys spp. reveals soil erosion, and Meliola spp. signals overgrazing. Both pollen and fungal spores are concentrated in the southwestern depocenter of Erhai Lake. Although fungal spore concentrations are similar in sediments from Qinghai Lake and Erhai Lake, the smaller catchment of Erhai Lake provides a more constrained spore source, making it better suited for reconstructing grazing activity. This study systematically uncovers the transport and depositional patterns of pollen and fungal spores in a small catchment, providing a critical modern-process framework for reconstructing historical vegetation dynamics and grazing intensities from lacustrine sediment records across the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.
Montane vegetation on the eastern Tibetan Plateau (TP) is highly sensitive to climatic variability, yet the scarcity of high-resolution archives has limited our understanding of vegetation dynamics, treeline behaviour, and peat development over the last two millennia. Here we present a 2,100-year peat sequence from a small montane peatland situated near the modern treeline. High-resolution ( 13 years) analyses of loss-on-ignition, pollen, and conifer stomata were conducted. The results show that vegetation evolution across the eastern TP exhibits broadly coherent patterns, as indicated by consistent long-term trends in arboreal pollen records. A progressive increase in arboreal pollen percentages since 2 ka bp indicates sustained forest expansion, reflecting a temperature-dominated control on long-term vegetation trends. In contrast, centennial–decadal variability in arboreal pollen shows closer correspondence with both temperature and monsoon precipitation records, suggesting that short-term vegetation fluctuations were jointly regulated by temperature and precipitation, with temperature exerting the primary influence. A pronounced decline in arboreal pollen during the past 90 years, despite continued warming and increased precipitation, points to the emergence of human impacts on vegetation. Temporal offsets between conifer stomata and arboreal pollen records indicate that treeline migration lagged regional forest and climatic changes by several decades, consistent with modern ecological observations of delayed treeline responses to temperature forcing. Peaks in organic matter content during cold-wet intervals further indicate that such conditions promoted peat preservation and enhanced peat accumulation. These findings provide new insight into the multi-scale controls on vegetation dynamics in the eastern TP mountains and offer long-term ecological evidence for assessing future responses of alpine forest and treeline to ongoing climate warming and increasing human disturbance.
Research on agricultural origins in southwest Asia revealed a protracted process of developing plant management systems in the early Holocene that eventually led to the selection of domestication traits among a suite of seed crops. While the temporal and geographic spread of these developments is relatively clear, the specific sets of management practices and related (agro-)ecological conditions that characterised early plant management systems and underpin the selection of domestication traits remain poorly understood. Here we use plant functional ecology to develop models that distinguish productivity conditions between grasslands – a key crop progenitor habitat – and arable fields cultivated under low- and high-input regimes. Using specific functional trait combinations, we identify shade tolerance as an ecological mechanism among modern grassland and arable weed communities, allowing us to indirectly infer high vegetation density among non-arable habitats. We apply the productivity models to archaeological weed floras from four Aceramic Neolithic and Ceramic Neolithic sites in the Levant and central Anatolia, identifying increased productivity in later agricultural systems as opposed to lower productivity among ‘pre-domestication cultivation’ assemblages that match conditions of modern grasslands. Our findings confirm known patterns of soil disturbance throughout the southwest Asian Neolithic, while the functional ecological models provided will allow for a more systematic analysis of developing productivity conditions in early plant management systems in the future.
The Atlantic Amazon region is defined by vast alluvial plains, which host some of the largest mangrove ecosystems worldwide. These landscapes comprise shell mounds dated between 6,000 and 1,000 years ago. Shell mounds are widely associated with long-term and repeated human occupation of coastal environments. This paper presents the first detailed phytolith analysis from the Porto da Mina shell mound (ca. 6,200–4,600 cal bp), based on a stratified sequence of 23 archaeological layers composed of mollusc shells, faunal remains, charcoal and ceramics. The phytoliths from stratified sediments revealed the importance of Arecaceae (ca. 66
During the late La Tène period the Celtic oppidum at Altenburg-Rheinau was established on two peninsulas protruding into the river Rhine in Germany and Switzerland close to the Rheinfall (Rhine Falls) near Schaffhausen (CH). Due to its strategic and favourable position for trade, the oppidum is interpreted as a Celtic commercial metropolis. In this time of innovation, changes in population density accompanied by urbanisation and increasing human impact on the landscape, analysis of botanical macro remains is a promising way of finding out about the plant economy on an important Iron Age trade route, as well as changes to the surrounding landscape and everyday life in an oppidum of the 2nd to 1st century bce. In this paper, the seeds, fruits as well as wood charcoal from pits within the excavated settlement structures are discussed. The recovered charred botanical macro-remains provide evidence of various activities such as crop storage, food processing, waste disposal and use of firewood. The main staple crops at Altenburg-Rheinau, Hordeum vulgare (barley) and Triticum spelta (spelt wheat), are accompanied by Panicum miliaceum (broomcorn millet), Triticum aestivum s.l./durum/turgidum (bread wheats) together with some Triticum dicoccum (emmer wheat). Combined with the recorded weedy taxa, they provide evidence of a complex agricultural system involving winter and summer crops as well as grassland fallow. The wood charcoal assemblages which are dominated by Quercus sp. (oak) and Fagus sylvatica (beech) suggest a good firewood supply at the oppidum. A comparison of the plant economy of Altenburg-Rheinau with archaeobotanical assemblages from ten contemporary sites in the region of Baden-Württemberg, reveals an overall similar trend of increasing crop diversity during the La Tène period.
The transition from hunter-gatherer societies to agricultural communities in southern Poland began in the latter half of the 6th millennium bc with the arrival of the first farming groups from the Danube region, associated with the Linear Pottery culture (LBK). This study presents new archaeobotanical data from two LBK sites in southeastern Poland: Rzeszów-Zwięczyca site 3 and Łańcut site 3. The analyses revealed key cultivated species, primarily emmer wheat (Triticum dicoccon) and einkorn wheat (Triticum monococcum), along with smaller amounts of flax (Linum usitatissimum) and pulses (cf. Pisum sp.). Among wild herbaceous plants white goosefoot (Chenopodium album), black bindweed (Fallopia convolvulus) and brome grasses (Bromus sp.) were predominant. Additionally, a relatively high share of hazelnut remains (Corylus avellana) in LBK contexts suggests that this wild species was likely consumed by early farming communities. These results provide the first well-documented archaeobotanical evidence from LBK sites in southeastern Poland, offering new insights into early farming, suggesting that cultivation was strongly focused on emmer wheat, while plant-use strategies likely also included the gathering of wild plants as a component of the diet.
Archaeobotany is often perceived as a technical subdiscipline, confined to appendices and specialist reports, especially in the development-led archaeology sector. This paper argues for the transformative potential of archaeobotany in reaching communities usually underserved by archaeology. Using the Roman Gardens of Londinium project as a case study, this paper demonstrates how archaeobotany can serve as a gateway into archaeology for diverse social groups. Conducted within a wellbeing framework, the project was designed to empower participants, establishing their roles as community researchers, responsible for co-producing research and creative outputs. This resulted in the formation of a new cohesive community with sustained engagement and unexpected long-term impact for the project. This project highlights the role archaeobotany can have in addressing gaps in archaeological knowledge, but also its potential to create social value in the present, by contributing to well-being through community co-creation initiatives.
Archaeobotanical analyses of sites in the Roman province Moesia Inferior have largely focused on urban centres and military camps. Despite rural sites forming the basis of plant economies and plant-based food supplies, they have mostly been neglected by archaeobotanical research in this region. To fill this gap, this study provides qualitative and quantitative analyses of a large quantity of well-preserved charred plant remains uncovered at the rural Roman site “Tash Bair, Site 2” (TBS2), located in present-day northern Bulgaria and dating to the end of the 2nd and beginning of the 3rd century ce. Carpological analysis revealed over 110 taxa, with a particular predominance of grassland and ruderal vegetation, accounting for around 60
Archaeobotanists working in the Balkans and the Carpathian Basin in the 1980s documented remains resembling wild rye caryopses in the deposits from the Bronze and Iron ages, and named them “weedy rye” or “small Secale”. It took years and more finds, including those of chaff, to identify these remains more precisely—as Dasypyrum villosum (mosquito grass). The first systematic overview of archaeobotanical records of this species in the Balkans and east-central Europe provided detailed description of the finds, emphasising the difficulty in distinguishing the grain and chaff of D. villosum from those of wheat (principally Triticum monococcum, einkorn) and Secale. Since this work, further finds of D. villosum have been discovered in this part of Europe, dating from prehistory but also later periods. The current paper combines the previous and new knowledge and examines the wider temporal, geographical, archaeobotanical and bioecological context of D. villosum. Our study confirms the earliest appearance of D. villosum from the Bronze Age and shows its continued presence through the late antique and medieval periods, mainly in the deposits containing large amounts of einkorn. We consider early finds of D. villosum as indicators of the changes in land use noted for the Bronze and Early Iron ages in our study region. These changes pertained to the advance of specialised, more extensive crop and animal husbandry, intensified metallurgy and growing urbanism, leading to modification of the environment and facilitating the expansion of D. villosum and other species associated with open, dry, disturbed habitats.
Traditional knowledge of plant use in Africa is rapidly eroding as communities adopt modern materials, yet both historical and contemporary practices remain only partially described. Here, we document woody species and grasses used for construction, thatching, and firewood by rural communities near Niokolo-Koba National Park (NKNP) in southeastern Senegal, one of West Africa’s largest protected areas. We compare our results with West African charcoal assemblages to assess continuity in species use and inform archaeological and anthracological interpretations. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 63 informants across seven villages, complemented by field inventories in four inhabited and four abandoned villages. We recorded 54 woody species, one bamboo, and five other grasses used in material culture, representing 20 botanical families. The ten most culturally important species were Borassus aethiopum, Oxytenanthera abyssinica, Cordyla pinnata, Mitragyna inermis, Pterocarpus erinaceus, Bombax costatum, Grewia bicolor, Piliostigma thonningii, Prosopis africana, and Hexalobus monopetalus. Most taxa were used for house construction, fencing, and furniture, while others served in tool-making, crafts, and ritual contexts. Plant use varied regionally, with communities relying primarily on resources from their surroundings, followed by park areas, and limited harvesting within village boundaries. The Southeast exhibited greater local resource availability, while the Northwest depended more on protected areas. Material selection was influenced by wood density, availability, workability, and cultural significance. Over 40 of the documented taxa are represented in West African archaeological charcoal assemblages, suggesting broad regional and long-term continuity in the use of key woody species. Species absences, preservation biases, and wood-anatomical similarities among taxa complicate archaeobotanical identification. These findings advance interpretations of past human–environment interactions and demonstrate the value of traditional knowledge for documenting plant use, informing conservation strategies, and tracing long-term species use across West Africa.
We present AMUPED (American Useful Plants in Europe Database), a curated and openly accessible dataset documenting archaeobotanical evidence of American plant species recovered from archaeological contexts in Europe from the late 15th to the 20th century. The database currently includes 183 validated records from 141 archaeological sites across 14 European countries, representing 24 taxa from 11 botanical families. Each record contains taxonomic identification, plant part, archaeological context, dating, inferred use, and site metadata. The dataset is complemented by pollen data, domestication sites, and historical documentation of introduced taxa. Data were compiled through a systematic review of published literature and excavation reports and validated by subject specialists to ensure contextual consistency. AMUPED enables analyses of spatial and temporal patterns in plant introductions and the cultural significance of New World taxa in post-1492 Europe, supporting research in archaeobotany, historical ecology, and transatlantic biocultural exchange. This paper presents the rationale, structure, and scope of AMUPED, describes the methods used for data collection and quality control, and highlights key findings. We also discuss current limitations, including geographic and chronological gaps, and outline directions for future expansion, such as the integration of microbotanical data and historical sources. By centralising archaeobotanical records previously scattered across national databases and grey literature, AMUPED provides a foundation for comparative and interdisciplinary research. The database remains open to future contributions from the research community.
