New insights on plant domestication, production intensification, and food storage: the archaeobotanical evidence from PPNA Dhra'. (2nd January 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Colledge, Sue; Conolly, James; Finlayson, Bill; Kuijt, Ian
• Is Part Of: Levant. Volume 50:Number 1(2018)
• Page Start: 14
• Page End: 31
• Publication Date: 2018-01-02
• Subjects: Pre-Pottery Neolithic -- southern Levant -- food storage -- cultivation -- production intensification; Middle East -- Antiquities -- Periodicals; Middle East -- History -- Periodicals; Middle East -- Civilization -- To 622 -- Periodicals; 939.4
• DOI: 10.1080/00758914.2018.1424746
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0075-8914

Abstract

Abstract : We present detailed accounts of the archaeobotanical remains recovered from the excavations of the southern Levantine Pre-Pottery Neolithic A site of Dhra', including metric and morphological analysis of barley grains. Comparisons with other early Epi-Palaeolithic and Neolithic sites indicate that the Dhra' grains are larger than recorded wild specimens, but fall at the lower range of domestic species, consistent with intermediary pre-domestication cultivation status. We contextualize these results in relation to associated evidence for food storage at Dhra', as well as the ecology of wild plants and early crops, and processing technologies across the Levant.