Altitude higher than 20 m asl

Altitude lower than 20 m asl

Restitution of the lagoon between PRODUCTIONPRODUCTION ANDAND STORAGESTORAGE classical Antiquity and medieval times

Ancient cities

OFOF FOODFOOD PLANTSPLANTS Medieval agglomerations up until today

Medieval abbey

ININ EASTERNEASTERN LANGUEDOCLANGUEDOC Archaeological sites thth thth 1010 -11-11 CENTURYCENTURY A.D.A.D. The two sites, Dassargues and Lunel-Viel, located in the Vidourle’s valley (areas of Nîmes and Montpellier ), are 5 km distant from each other. In the north, their territories are limited by the low terrace hills of the lunellois (10-100 m asl). In the south, they are in THETHE SITESSITES OFOF DASSARGUESDASSARGUES ANDAND LUNEL-VIELLUNEL-VIEL contact with the coastal plain of Lunel and the lagoon of Mauguio; the ancient shore of the lagoon is still visible, 5km away from Dassargues. (HÉRAULT,(HÉRAULT, FRANCE)FRANCE) Through History the river Vidourle and the stream Dardaillon had a significant impact on the landscape and on the pattern of land occupation related to farming.

ARCHEOZOOLOGY, Jérôme ROS - Master student, University of Montpellier 3 - [email protected] ARCHEOBOTANY Societies, Practices Marie-Pierre RUAS - CNRS UMR 7209, Paris - [email protected] and Environments UMR 7209

A – Lunel-Viel ; B - Dassargues

sampled pits

B

Dassargues, excavations - Photo C. Raynaud CNRS, 1992 THETHE SITESSITES 5 m

Plan C. Raynaud CNRS, 1987 - 1990 The medieval occupation of the two rural sites is dated from 10 th to 11 th c. AD. The study of the plant remains A from different fillings of several storage pits offers the opportunity to re-examine the question of the agrarian MATERIALMATERIAL ANDAND METHODSMETHODS areas and of the crops cultivated in the low Languedoc at this time. The results obtained are compared with written sources. During the 10 th c. AD, the territory of Dassargues knows an important phase of settlement and Only one pit at Dassargues and six pits at Lunel-Viel provided exploitation: digging of more than 200 silos and construction of two threshing areas. At the same time the 63 carbonized seeds. The major part of the pits was filled with secondary silos of Lunel-Viel constitute the ultimate phase of occupation of the village. During these two centuries, the deposits. The samples from Dassargues were sieved by flotation (0,5 territories of these two sites witness an important development and dynamism, proper to their politic of mm meshes) and sorted under a stereomicroscope, those of Lunel-Viel Plan C. Raynaud CNRS, 1992 extension. The large storage areas allow us to discuss the pattern of produce management and the storage. were only sorted by hand after a coarse sieving by the excavator. At The actual mediterranean vegetation comprises remains of a deciduous oak forest associated with scrubland Dassargues, 20 663 seeds remains were identified, at Lunel only 572. on the hill, while mixed oak ( Quercus ilex and Q. pubescens ) stands and the riveraine forest ( Fraxinus, Salix, The taxa frequencies were calculated for the number of minimal entire Ulmus ) grow in the plain. Here, vineyards and orchards are intensively exploited. seeds (nmi).

Hordeum vulgare Vitis vinifera 1% Triticum 0,5% Pisum sativum aestivum/durum cultivated Fabaceae 1 - Vicia faba var. minuta 0,02% 3,5% 0,04% 2 - Cicer arietinum

Hordeum vulgare Vitis vinifera 3 - Pisum sativum Lathyrus sativus 1 2 70% 0,1% 5 mm 4 - Triticum aestivum/durum 0,2% Lens culinaris 5 - Silybum marianum Wild plants 2 mm 1% 6 - Ecballium elaterium 1% 3 mm Lathyrus cicera 7, 8, 9 - Hordeum vulgare 1% ear fragment, spikelet, agglomerate of two Vicia faba hulled grains. 78% cultivated Fabaceae 2% Cicer arietinum Triticum 3 14% aestivum/durum 29%

LUNEL - VIEL DASSARGUES 4 Taxonomic spectrum of the carbonized seeds and fruit remains Taxonomic spectrum of the carbonized seeds and fruit remains NMI = 405 ; volume of 7 samples = unknown NMI = 9976 ; volume of 3 samples = 13.16 litres

CULTURESCULTURES ANDAND PRACTICESPRACTICES 3 mm 3 mm The deposits of seeds and fruit testify to the major economic role of two cereals ( Hordeum vulgare , and naked Triticum ), and 5 6 7 the importance of two pulses ( Vicia faba and Cicer arietinum ). Few seeds of Pisum , Lens , Lathyrus sativus and cicera are recorded. Wood charcoals and pips of Vitis and charcoals fragments of Olea and Pinus pinea complete the cultural spectrum. 5000 Wild trees used for wood fire could also provide fruits as food: Corylus, Malus, Prunus spinosa, Crataegus and Arbutus. nmi 4500 5 mm 4000 The ratio of hulled grain, chaff A few remains of wild herbaceous plants have been found within the high concentration of cereals of Dassargues. Most of 3500 and weed seeds suggest that the them are considered as winter crops weeds ( Agrostemma githago , Galium spurium , Lolium temulentum , Sherardia arvensis ). 3000 Dassargues assemblage contained prime grain The Chenopodietea class is represented by Chenopodium album, Ecballium elaterium, Lolium perenne/rigidum and Silybum 2500 products: 1.5% of grains with 2000 marianum . The ecological requirements of these species indicate that the annual crops were sown principally on dry calcareous fragment of lemma, 3% chaff of soils. Charcoal recorded in the domestic fire and palynological results suggest that local conditions allowed the persistence of 1500 1000 total remains of barley, 1% weed mesophilous taxa (Fagus , Abies , Corylus, Alnus ) in the riverside forest of the low Mediterranean plain until the high Middle Age. 500 seeds. 0 th th Some contemporary documents from the region of Montpellier (11 -12 c.) listed cereals used as food taxes: civada (oat), Sample 1 Sample 2 Sample 3 Total of One fragment of an ear and rare remains mescla (mixture), annona , frumentus (“wheats”), ordi (barley), blat (naked wheat), ordi cannorgal (?) and frumentus de ortos (?). Total of grains (nmi = 6943) agglomerate of barley spikelet are We note that neither pulses nor fruits are pointed. But a donation by Elderedus (year 788) mentioned “terra et uineas”. According C noted (photos 7-9). 8 5 mm Partially hulled grains to this source and the archaeobotanical results the vine production played a secondary role in the local farming economy and/or 8 mm 9 the vineyards were located on the hill slope in the hinterland. Moreover, vines were not cultivated in association with the annual cultures in the same parcel (so-called “cultura mixta ” in some medieval texts from the Mediterranean area). Concerning the cultivation of olive trees, eco-anatomical analysis of charcoals identified as Olea suggest that they were probably cultivated STORAGESTORAGE under irrigation maybe on the moist soils of the low plain riverbanks. At Dassargues a large concentration of semi-cleaned grain of barley (see above fig. C) and naked wheat was accidentally charred Hypothesis concerning the use of REFERENCES in a bulk storage then later thrown into the pit: no primary storage these storage areas: e e was found and the two cereals were not a mixture. At Lunel-Viel, the Garnier B., Garnotel A., Mercier A. & Raynaud C., 1995. De la ferme au village: Dassargues du V au XII siècle (Lunel, Hérault), Archéologie du Midi • as community storage médiéval 13: 1-78. less important volume of seed remains can not be used to illustrate • for storing surplus of crop production storage in pit. It is nonetheless interesting to note the importance of Chabal L. & Durand A., 1990. L’analyse anthracologique. In : Raynaud C. (dir.) et coll., Le village gallo-romain et médiéval de Lunel-Viel (Hérault). La fouille • in anticipation of food shortages du quartier ouest (1981 - 1983) , Annales Littéraires de Besançon 97: 315-337. pulses and mixed storage of horse beans and check peas. Durand A. & Terral J.-F., 2006. Bio-archaeological evidence of olive tree ( Olea europaea L.) irrigation during the Middle Ages in Southern France and North The synthesis of the archaeological data suggests the • as stock kept for taxes Eastern Spain, Journal of Archaeological Science 33 (5): 718-724. simultaneous use of two different storage procedures: in pits and in • as speculative stock Mercier C. & Raynaud C., 1999. Genèse d’un terroir en Languedoc oriental : Dassargues du IV e au IX e siècle., Castrum 5 Archéologie des espaces agraires buildings. The storage of daily staples might have been done • for further sowing méditerranéens au Moyen Âge : 185-199 directly in the house while the silos were used for long time storage. Planchais N., 1982. Palynologie lagunaire de l’étang de Mauguio. Paléoenvironnement végétal et évolution anthropique, Pollen et Spores XXIV (1): 93-118. So far, the function of these large storage areas is still a matter e e Ros J., 2009. Etude carpologique d’un comblement de silo du X -XI s. à Dassargues (Lunel, Hérault). Mémoire de master 1, Université de Montpellier 3, of debate. 87p. Ruas M.-P.,1990. Analyse des paléo-semences carbonisées, In : Raynaud C. (dir.) et coll., Le village gallo-romain et médiéval de Lunel-Viel (Hérault). La ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS : Claude Raynaud (CNRS, Montpellier) helped us with historical information and archaeological data. fouille du quartier ouest (1981 - 1983) , Annales Littéraires de Besançon 97: 96-104. Isabel Figueiral (INRAP, Montpellier) reviewed the english version of the text. Ruas M.-P., 2005. Aspects of early medieval farming from sites in Mediterranean France, Vegetation History and Archaeobotany 14 (4): 400-415.

15 th symposium of IWGP, Wilhelmshaven 30 May - 5 June 2010