Juan José García-Granero

Millet microremains—an alternative approach to understand cultivation and use of critical crops in Prehistory

The term “millets” is used to identify several genera of grasses (Poaceae), most of which belong to the subfamily Panicoideae. Millets are one of the major food sources in arid and semi-arid areas of the world and they have been important crops in the prehistory of Africa and Eurasia. In this paper, we discuss phytoliths and starch grains from two of the less studied major millets (Pennisetum glaucum and Sorghum bicolor) as well as from some small millet species that are not normally considered of much importance (so-called forgotten millets: Digitaria ciliaris, Echinochloa colona, Echinochloa frumentacea, Brachiaria ramosa, Setaria pumila and Setaria verticillata). The preliminary results of this study on phytolith morphology, both at single and joined (silica skeletons) morphotypes, and starch grains show great potentials for the identification of different genus or species on the basis of microremains.

Microbotanical Evidence of Domestic Cereals in Africa 7000 Years Ago

The study of plant exploitation and early use of cereals in Africa has seen over the years a great input from charred and desiccated macrobotanical remains. This paper presents the results of one of the few examples in Africa of microbotanical analyses. Three grave contexts of phytolith-rich deposits and the dental calculus of 20 individuals were analysed from two Neolithic cemeteries in North and Central Sudan. The radiocarbon-dated phytoliths from the burial samples show the presence of Near East domestic cereals in Northern Sudan at least 7000 years ago. Phytoliths also indicate the exploitation of wild, savannah-adapted millets in Central Sudan between 7500 and 6500 years ago. The calculus samples contained starch grains from wheat/barley, pulses and millets, as well as panicoid phytoliths. This evidence shows that Near East domestic cereals were consumed in Northern Africa at least 500 years earlier than previously thought.

Millets and Herders: The Origins of Plant Cultivation in Semiarid North Gujarat (India)

Botanical evidence suggests that North Gujarat (India) was a primary center of plant domestication during the mid-Holocene. However, lack of systematic archaeobotanical research and significant taphonomic processes have so far hampered the possibility of substantiating this hypothesis. This paper explores the role of plants in the subsistence strategies of early-middle Holocene populations in this semiarid region and the processes leading to plant cultivation. To do so, we carry out a multiproxy archaeobotanical study—integrating macro and microbotanical remains—at two hunter-gatherer and agropastoral occupations. The results show that the progressive weakening of the Indian summer monsoon ca. 7,000 years ago compelled human populations to adopt seminomadic pastoralism and plant cultivation, which resulted in the domestication of several small millet species, pulses, and sesame.

A microarchaeological approach for the study of pits

Abstract The study of the technology underlying pre-industrial storage structures has an interest from an anthropological and archaeological perspective, in terms of the evolution of key cultural and cognitive capabilities, often related to the transition to food production. Microarchaeological techniques offer a unique perspective on the study of pre-industrial storing technologies. In this work, examples are presented from two archaeological contexts in different climatic and socio-ecological situations during the Holocene in S Asia and SW Europe. Microarchaeological techniques used in this study include micromorphology, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and phytolith analyses. The comparative study of two pits highlights key aspects of the decision-making process involved in technological solutions of storage: • The choice of a location for the construction of a given storage facility is highly affected by contextual climatic, microclimatic, soil and bioturbative factors• The time taken to consume stored foodstuffs seems to affect technological investment as much as the intrinsic conservation requirements of the stored taxa• The use of fire to hygienise pits implies that such structures were not conceived for single use• Pre-industrial storage systems can be seen as modular structures, which components (e.g. topographical location, sediment type, lining type, hygienisation techniques and cover) can be recombined to improve storage performance for different climatic settings and foodstuffs.

A tale of multi-proxies: integrating macro- and microbotanical remains to understand subsistence strategies

The integrated analysis of several proxies in order to answer a research question is a widespread approach in palaeoecology, but it is not well developed in archaeobotanical research. Applying a multi-proxy approach to archaeobotany has several advantages: a more diverse anatomical and taxonomical representation of the original plant input and a better understanding of taphonomic processes, both depositional and post-depositional. The aim of this paper is to show how a multi-proxy approach can enrich our understanding of plant-related subsistence strategies. Macro and microbotanical analyses were carried out on samples from Shikarpur, a Chalcolithic settlement in Kachchh, Gujarat, northwest India. This settlement is located in a semi-arid region with wet/dry cycles and highly saline soils that influence the preservation of charred remains, so that they do not offer the full picture of plant-related subsistence strategies. We show that the combination of different proxies is crucial to cross-validate the results and to gain a wider understanding of plant use strategies. The inhabitants of Shikarpur relied on a double-cropping system based on local small millets and pulses, and they also consumed cereals, tubers and sedges.

What is on the craftsmen’s menu? Plant consumption at Datrana, a 5000-year-old lithic blade workshop in North Gujarat, India

The exploitation of lithic resources was an important aspect of prehistoric resource exploitation strategies and adaptation. Research has mostly focused on technological and spatial aspects of lithic factory sites, often overlooking how these sites were integrated within local socioecological dynamics in terms of food acquisition and consumption. The aim of this paper is to study plant consumption at Datrana, a 5000-year-old lithic blade workshop in North Gujarat, India, in order to understand its occupants’ subsistence strategies. The results of archaeobotanical, mineralogical and soil pH analyses show that the occupants of this factory site were consuming local crops but not processing them, suggesting that either (a) food was being processed in other areas of the site or (b) it was acquired in a ‘ready-to-consume’ state from local food-producing communities. This study highlights the integration of a lithic factory site within its surrounding cultural and natural landscape, offering an example of how the inhabitants of a workshop interacted with local communities to acquire food resources.

Sickles and Forks: Traditional Rural Knowledge of Agricultural Practises and Its Possible Applications in Archaeology

This paper presents the results of ethnographic observations of non-mechanized crop-processing activities at two localities in Catalonia (Spain). The aim of the study is to analyze the patterns of phytolith deposition on threshing floors and to be able to reconstruct them. Phytoliths are extremely durable plant micro-remains that are commonly found in archaeological sediments and can provide information on the types and parts of plants used in the past. The preliminary results of phytolith analysis and geostatistic applications to the identification of spatial patterns of deposition are presented. The application of geostatistic techniques allows for the identification of general spatial patterns derived from the circularity of movement with which the crop processing took place. The combination of phytolith analysis and geostatistics could help to identify archaeological threshing floors, thus providing information on early crop-processing practices and the adoption of agriculture.

Resilience of small-scale societies’ livelihoods: a framework for studying the transition from food gathering to food production

This paper is the result of a two-day workshop funded by ICREA (Catalan Higher Research Institution) and organized at the ICTA (Institute for Environmental Studies) of the Autonomous University of Barcelona and the Department of Humanities of the Universitat Pompeu Fabra. The workshop was cofounded by the SimulPast project (former Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, CSD2010-00034). CL, DZ, MM, and JJGG are part of CaSEs (Complexity and Socio-Ecological Dynamics Research Group), a Grup de Recerca Emergent of the Generalitat de Catalunya (SGR-e 1417). CL is currently a UPFellow; JJGG was supported by a JAE PreDOC PhD scholarship (Spanish National Research Council and European Social Fund) and the SimulPast project.