Deborah M. Pearsall

The Origins of Agriculture: An International Perspective

The eight case studies in this book -- each a synthesis of available knowledge about the origins of agriculture in a specific region of the globe -- enable scholars in diverse disciplines to examine humanitys transition to agricultural societies. Contributors include: Gary W. Crawford, Robin W. Dennell, and Jack R. Harlan.

Distinguishing rice (Oryza sativa poaceae) from wildOryza species through phytolith analysis, II Finalized method

Asian rice is an important grain, not only in its homeland but in many areas of the world. Preliminary studies suggested that phytolith analysis, the identification of opaline silica bodies, provided a reliable way of identifying rice, especially in situations where preservation of charred botanical remains was poor. Results of this follow-up study, which incorporates all Asian wild Oryza species and a diverse array of traditional Oryza sativa cultivars, confirm that rice can be identified with a high level of certainty by the size and qualitative features of a distincitve phytolith, the double-peaked glume cell.RésuméLe riz d’Asie est une céréale importante, non seulement dans son pays d’origine, mais à travers le monde. Des études préliminaires suggèrent que l’analyze phytolithique—identification de particules de silica opalisé—fournit un moyen sur pour identifier le riz, surtout dans les cas de mauvais état de conservation des restes brulés organiques. Les résultats de cette étude de suite, incorporant toutes les espèces asiatiques d’Oryza sauvage et un groupe divers de formes traditionellement cultivées d’Oryza sativa, confirment le fait que le riz peut être identifié avec un haut degrès d’assurance par la taille et les traits qualitatifs d’un phytolithe distinctif, la glume bidentée.

Distinguishing rice (Oryza sativa Poaceae) from wild Oryza species through Phytolith analysis: Results of preliminary research

Asian rice is an important grain, not only in its homeland but in many areas of the world. Identifying rice in the archaeological record is a challenge, especially in the moist tropics, where organic materials preserve only when charred. Phytolith analysis, the identification of opaline silica bodies, provides an alternative method for identifying this important crop. Results of our research suggest thatOryza contributes phytoliths that are genus-specific, that bulliform characteristics alone do not permit separation of wild and domesticatedOryza in regions where species overlap, and that a number of phytolith types, especially silicified glumes, show promise for separating wild from domesticated forms. With further research it should be possible to identify rice through its phytolith assemblage in archaeological soils in the heartland of its domestication and use.RésuméLe riz d’Asie est une céréale importante, non seulement dans son pays d’origine, mais à travers le monde. L’identification du riz dand les donnees archéologiques présente des problémes, surtout dans les tropiques humides où les restes organiques ne se conservent qu’à I’état brulé. L’analyzephytolitique-identification departicules de silica opalisé-fournit une methode alternative qui permet I’étude de cette céréale importante. Nos recherches suggèrent queOryza produit des phytolithes qui sont identifiables au niveau du genre, que les characteristiques bulliformes seules ne permettent pas defaire la distinction entrel’Oryza sauvage et domestiqué dans les régions où les espèces se chevauchent, et que plusieurs sortes de phytolithes, surtout les glumes silicifiées promettent de pouvoir séparer les formes sauvages des formes domestiques. Avec des recherches supplémentaires, il devrait etre possible d’identifier le riz grâce à son assemblage phytolithique obtenu de sols archaéologiques provenant du centre de sa domestication et de son usage.

Directly dated starch residues document early formative maize (Zea mays L.) in tropical Ecuador

The study of maize (Zea mays L.) domestication has advanced from questions of its origins to the study—and debate—of its dietary role and the timing of its dispersal from Mexico. Because the investigation of maizes spread is hampered by poor preservation of macrobotanical remains in the Neotropics, research has focused on microbotanical remains whose contexts are often dated by association, leading some to question the dates assigned. Furthermore, some scholars have argued that maize was not introduced to southwestern Ecuador until ≈4150–3850 calendar years before the present (cal B.P.), that it was used first and foremost as a fermented beverage in ceremonial contexts, and that it was not important in everyday subsistence, challenging previous studies based on maize starch and phytoliths. To further investigate these questions, we analyzed every-day cooking vessels, food-processing implements, and sediments for starch and phytoliths from an archaeological site in southwestern Ecuador constituting a small Early Formative village. Employing a new technique to recover starch granules from charred cooking-pot residues we show that maize was present, cultivated, and consumed here in domestic contexts by at least 5300–4950 cal B.P. Directly dating the residues by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon measurement, our results represent the earliest direct dates for maize in Early Formative Ecuadorian sites and provide further support that, once domesticated ≈9000 calendar years ago, maize spread rapidly from southwestern Mexico to northwestern South America.

Phytolith Analysis of Archeological Soils: Evidence for Maize Cultivation in Formative Ecuador

Soil samples from the archeological sites of Real Alto and OGCh-20, Santa Elena Peninsula, Ecuador, show the presence of cross-shaped silica bodies identifiable as maize (Zea mays L.) phytoliths by size comparison with known wild grass and maize phytoliths. These results support arguments for the cultivation of maize at 2450 B.C. in coastal Ecuador.

Identifying maize in neotropical sediments and soilsusing cob phytoliths

Phytoliths—plant opal silica bodies—identified as maize (Zea mays, Poaceae) cob bodies have been recognized in residues from prehistoric pottery vessels and in human dental calculus. Maize cob phytoliths had not been formally tested against similar phytoliths produced in wild grass inflorescences, which are likely to be encountered in soils and sediments. We report the results of such tests, and formalize maize cob diagnostic types to permit separation of maize cob phytoliths from wild Zea (teosinte) and wild panicoid grasses in soils and sediments from the lowland Neotropics. Blind tests of the formalized types demonstrate the reliability of the identification protocol, and reveal a tendency for under-identification. Comparison of phytoliths extracted from charred maize cupules and sediments containing those cupules from the Pechichal site in the Jama River valley, coastal Ecuador, demonstrates that cob phytoliths are readily recognizable in sediments, but that cob phytolith assemblages may be altered in the burial environment, or during chemical processing.

Root and Tuber Phytoliths and Starch Grains Document Manioc (Manihot Esculenta), Arrowroot (Maranta Arundinacea), and Llerén (Calathea sp.) at the Real Alto Site, Ecuador

Although roots and tubers are dietary staples in many parts of the world, their use is difficult to document archaeo logically because their organic remains are often poorly preserved in archaeological sedi ments. Here we describe the first diagnostic phytoliths from the underground storage organs of the important New World agricultural crops manioc or yuca(Manihot esculenta Crantz), arrowroot(Maranta arundinacea L.), and llerén(Calathea allouia [Aubl.] Lindl.) and demonstrate their usefulness for identifying prehistoric root and tuber processing with a study of stone artifacts from a Valdivia 3 (2800–2400 B.C., calibrated) household at Real Alto, Ecuador. Gelatinized starch (heat-altered) and unaltered starch from maize (Zea mays L.), arrowroot, and manioc were also found on these stone tools. Our data document early evidence for manioc in Ecuador’s coastal lowlands. In combination, these phytoliths and starch residues provide evidence that both raw and cooked foods were processed in this early mixed agricultural economy.

Subsistence Economy of El Paraíso, an Early Peruvian Site

Studies of food remains from the Preceramic monumental site of E1 Para�so, Peru (1800 to 1500 B.C.), have shed new light on a debate regarding the relative importance of seafood versus terrestrial resources and the role of cultigens in subsistence economies during the early development of Peruvian civilization. Fish was the primary animal food at the site whereas plant foods consisted of a mixture of cultivated resources (squashes, beans, peppers, and jicama) with an additional reliance on fruits (guava, lucuma, and pacae). Wild plants, especially the roots of sedges and cat-tail, also may have accounted for a substantial part of the diet. Cotton was a chief crop, used in making fishing tackle and the textiles that served as clothing and items of high value and status. As an example of the beginnings of civilization, El Para�so is a case in which impressive architecture was built on a relatively simple subsistence economy and energy was expended in the production of resources useful in local and regional exchange systems.

Identifying past agricultural activity through soil phytolith analysis: a case study from the hawaiian islands

Abstract Soil samples from documented archaeological sites and adjacent fields were analyzed for phytolith assemblage in an effort to identify and reconstruct prehistoric and early historic agricultural systems on the Island of Hawaii. The removal of indigenous tree and shrub vegetation, subsequent agricultural activity, and eventual abandonment of the fields can be identified in the areas tested. The applicability of phytolith analysis to archaeological problems is advanced and areas of strength and weakness identified.

Gourd and squash artifacts yield starch grains of feasting foods from preceramic Peru

In a study of residues from gourd and squash artifacts, we recovered starch grains from manioc (Manihot esculenta), potato (Solanum sp.), chili pepper (Capsicum spp.), arrowroot (Maranta arundinacea), and algarrobo (Prosopis sp.) from feasting contexts at the Buena Vista site, a central Peruvian preceramic site dating to ≈2200 calendar years B.C. This study has implications for the study of plant food use wherever gourds or squashes are preserved, documents the earliest evidence for the consumption of algarrobo and arrowroot in Peru, and provides insights into foods consumed at feasts.