- Archaebotany, Paleoethnobotany, Archaeology, Geo Archeology, Maritime Archaeology, Nautical Archaeology, and 20 moreLandscape Archaeology, Ancient Topography, Enviromental Archaeology, Mediterrranean Archaeology, Islands Archaeology, Mediterranean archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, Neolithic Archaeology, Bronze Age Europe (Archaeology), Ethnoarchaeology, Mediterranean prehistory, Archaeobotany, Early Bronze Age (Archaeology), Neolithic Europe, Archaeology of Mediterranean Trade, Anthropology, Medieval Archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Protohistoric Iberian Peninsula, and Archaeology of the Iberian Peninsulaedit
In 2008–2009, a rescue excavation uncovered an intact Late Bronze Age well in Sa Osa, Sardinia (Italy). The structure yielded a large number of waterlogged plant remains, of which a group of melon seeds (Cucumis melo L.) were some of the... more
In 2008–2009, a rescue excavation uncovered an intact Late Bronze Age well in Sa Osa, Sardinia (Italy). The structure yielded a large number of waterlogged plant remains, of which a group of melon seeds (Cucumis melo L.) were some of the most remarkable. These seeds represent the earli- est recorded remains of this taxon in the Western Mediterranean and are some of the oldest ever recorded. The plant remains were preserved in anoxic conditions and were found in a perfect state of conservation, making them ideal candidates for morphometric and molecular characterisation. A total of 96 parameters, measured using an automatic image analysis system, were specifically designed to evaluate the morphological features of 15 preserved whole seeds. DNA extraction from archaeological samples followed a procedure specifically set up to avoid any kind of contamination. A 123- SNP genotyping platform that had been validated previously was used. The morphological and molecular data of the ar- chaeological seeds were successfully compared with those of a set of 179 accessions, including landraces, of feral and wild melons from Europe, Africa, and Asia. Both analyses con- firmed that these ancient seeds did not belong to a wild melon, but instead to a cultivated one. This primitive melon could have belonged to a group of ancestral non-sweet or semi- sweet forms of chate, flexuosus, or ameri varieties, showing similarities to North African and Central Asian accessions. This finding is coherent with the reportedly important role of cucumber-like melons in the species’ diversification process and with the accepted role of the ameri group as the ancestors of the modern sweet varieties.
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This paper present the results of archaeobotanical analysis carried out at two open-air sites dated to the first phase of the Copper Age, BChalcolithic^ (4th to 3rd millennium cal BC) in Sardinia. The sediment was systematically floated,... more
This paper present the results of archaeobotanical analysis carried out at two open-air sites dated to the first phase of the Copper Age, BChalcolithic^ (4th to 3rd millennium cal BC) in Sardinia. The sediment was systematically floated, a total of 3142 l was sampled and 4014 charred plant remains were identified. Chalcolithic agriculture in Sardinia was pri- marily based on the cultivation of Hordeum vulgare, H. vulgare var. nudum and Triticum aestivum/durum. Possible cultivated legumes of Vicia/Lathyrus, Vicia/Pisum and cf. Pisum sativum were identified. Linum sp. was also present, which may have been cultivated and exploited in Sardinia by the Chalcolithic community. The diet of the Chalcolithic community was complemented by the consump- tion of edible fruits such as Ficus carica, Sambucus sp. and Vitis vinifera subsp. sylvestris. Typical Mediterranean shrubs such as Pistacia lentiscus, Juniperus sp., Cistus sp., Malva sp. and Thymelaea hirsuta were also found.
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Melon has undergone an intense process of selection and crossbreeding, resulting in many landraces distributed all over Europe, Africa and Asia. Due to this huge variability, the systematic position of this taxon has been reviewed many... more
Melon has undergone an intense process of selection and crossbreeding, resulting in many landraces distributed all over Europe, Africa and Asia. Due to this huge variability, the systematic position of this taxon has been reviewed many times in the last two decades. The goal of this article is to compare the phenotypic characterization achieved by seed features with the molecular analysis on melon genotypes. A set of 124 accessions of Cucumis melo has been selected for molecular and morpho-colourimetric analyses plus an additional selection of accessions of Cucumis sativus, Citrullus lanatus and Citrullus colocynthis used to highlight seed morphology distances among genus and species. Genotyping was performed on the basis of 211 polymorphic SNPs and was executed using the iPLEX® Gold MassARRAY Sequenom technology. A total of 137 parameters were specifically designed to evaluate seed colour, size, shape and texture. Both molecular and seed morpho-colourimetrical analyses confirm the existence of two melon subspecies while an intermediate group has also been found. A non random allelic distribution in SNPs located in specific genomic regions suggests that some of these regions may account for a part of the observed variation in seed size. Six major groups of varieties can be discriminated on the basis on seed traits.
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In 2008, during a rescue excavation in the Sa Osa area, near the town of Cabras (Sardinia, Italy), a Nuragic settlement was discovered. The excavation revealed numerous pits, wells and structures dug by the local communities between the... more
In 2008, during a rescue excavation in the Sa Osa area, near the town of Cabras (Sardinia, Italy), a Nuragic settlement was discovered. The excavation revealed numerous pits, wells and structures dug by the local communities between the Early Copper Age and the Iron Age. These structures were interpreted as elements of a settlement mainly involved in primary production. The most remarkable structure is Well-N, radiocarbon and archaeologically dated to the Late Bronze Age, which has yielded large amounts of waterlogged plant remains, animal and fish bones and pottery. Despite the limited set of samples, the combination of macro-remain and pollen analyses in this unique context provides important information useful for exploring not only local subsistence systems but also human impact on the surrounding environment.
Grapes and figs are the most abundant remains together with other fruits and edible vascular plants. Remains of melon and mulberry were identified being the earliest remains of these two species for Western Europe. Their presence may confirm early trade between Nuragic people and the eastern Mediterranean and/or African coasts. Intentional selection of wood suggests practices associated to the collection of raw material for specific technological demands.
The presence of intestinal parasites in the pollen record points to the use of the well as a cesspit, at least in its later phase, and this is one of the earliest evidence of this type of structures in prehistoric contexts.
Grapes and figs are the most abundant remains together with other fruits and edible vascular plants. Remains of melon and mulberry were identified being the earliest remains of these two species for Western Europe. Their presence may confirm early trade between Nuragic people and the eastern Mediterranean and/or African coasts. Intentional selection of wood suggests practices associated to the collection of raw material for specific technological demands.
The presence of intestinal parasites in the pollen record points to the use of the well as a cesspit, at least in its later phase, and this is one of the earliest evidence of this type of structures in prehistoric contexts.
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The paper presents an overview of the economic profile of the visigothic (6th-8th AD) village of Gózquez, as exemplified by its faunal and botanical record. The site, located in the center of the Iberian Peninsula, has been one of the... more
The paper presents an overview of the economic profile of the visigothic (6th-8th AD) village of Gózquez, as exemplified by its faunal and botanical record. The site, located in the center of the Iberian Peninsula, has been one of the first Early Medieval rural sites in Spain to be extensively excavated in the context of preventive/rescue archaeology. Archaeobotanical and zooarchaeological data reveal a degree of integration between farming and stockbreeding that calls into question the traditionally wielded paradigm of medieval historiography, in particular the stereotype of precarious settlements (in residential terms) subjected to the limitations imposed by an economy of strict subsistence.