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University of Pennsylvania Museum of University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology Papers Archaeology and Anthropology

11-2002

Food, Fodder, or Fuel?: Harvesting the Secrets of Ancient

Naomi F. Miller University of Pennsylvania, [email protected]

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Recommended Citation Miller, N. F. (2002). , Fodder, or Fuel?: Harvesting the Secrets of Ancient Seeds. Expedition, 44 (3), 5-6. Retrieved from https://repository.upenn.edu/penn_museum_papers/39

This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/penn_museum_papers/39 For more information, please contact [email protected]. Food, Fodder, or Fuel?: Harvesting the Secrets of Ancient Seeds

Abstract When I was in Southern Iraq in the 1970s, I collected charred woods and plant remains from the ancient city of Anshan, today’s Malyan. Although charcoal was plentiful, there were not many compared with other sites in the Near East. But as with those other sites, the seeds I did find included a high proportion of wild and weedy types. Yet Malyan was the capital of an ancient agricultural civilization, where and had been cultivated for thousands of years. Why were there so many seeds of wild, nonfood plants? Even the cultigens were hard to explain.

Keywords

Disciplines Archaeological Anthropology | Biological and Physical Anthropology | Social and Cultural Anthropology

This journal article is available at ScholarlyCommons: https://repository.upenn.edu/penn_museum_papers/39 science & archaeology Food, Fodder, or Fuel?

HARVESTING hen I was in southern Iran THE SECRETS in the 1970s, I Malyan lies in the pistachio-almond forest zone of the south- collected charred ern Zagros Mountains, near a border of oak forest to the OF ANCIENT north. Oak forest covers the slopes at the northwest end of wood and seed the valley. A few remnant pistachio and almond trees survive SEEDS plantW remains from the ancient city at the edge of the plain. of Anshan, today’s Malyan. Although charcoal was plentiful, Although both wheat and barley are edible, people usu- there were not many seeds com- ally prefer wheat because it is easier to husk. Barley is pared with other sites in the Near more likely to be fed to animals (or made into beer). So BY NAOMI F. East. But as with those other sites, why were there many more barley seeds than wheat? And MILLER the seeds I did find included a high why was the proportion of charred seeds relative to proportion of wild and weedy types. charred wood greater at 2000 B.C. than at 3000 B.C.? Yet Malyan was the capital of an Between 3000 and 2000 B.C., Malyan tripled in size, to ancient agricultural civilization, about 150 hectares. The settlement survey by William M. where wheat and barley had been cultivated for thou- Sumner suggests that population density in the entire sands of years. Why were there so many seeds of wild, region also rose. Starting with the trees closest to home, nonfood plants? Even the cultigens were hard to explain. one might expect some were cut for field clearance and for fuel. Indeed, a shift in the proportion of charred wood types suggests that trees closest to Malyan were Woman baking bread in the selectively removed. The main fuel woods at 3000 B.C. village. The fuel is , were pistachio, almond, maple, juniper, and poplar. and the dough is cooked on a convex iron plate. Pistachio and almond (with edible nuts) persist in the charcoal assemblage, but by 2000 B.C., oak and maple had replaced juniper and poplar. Alternatively, the changes may simply reflect the post-Pleistocene expansion of the oak forest after about 10,000 years ago. I had assumed that the wood remains were from spent fuel. But how did the seeds wind up in the fire? In the 1970s, archaeobotanists commonly believed that culti-

MILLER gens were food remains, but that wild seeds fell into fires . accidentally and were thus preserved in the archaeological

NAOMI F record. So I turned my attention to the seeds.

WWW.MUSEUM.UPENN.EDU/PUBLICATIONS 5 6 science &archaeology down for farmland andfuel. forfarmland down dungfuel astrees were cut coal reflects increasing useof Seesidebar.) to 1barley. 2wheat of portions cess deposit hadreverse single a pro- (Interestingly, to 1. by outnumbered andwhy about13 wheat barley plants, wild iswhy which there were many seedsof diet, human, sodungwas aminorfuel. trees, there of were plenty still Malyan liesintheforest zone; seeds were embeddedindungfragments. the butsometimes, seedsanddung, had notonlyburned samples hearth andsure enough, Ichecked, United States, Backinthe samplesto shiphome. scooped upacouple of Isurreptitiously Oneday, sweepings separately. hearth theresidents and dumpedtheircourtyard wall, village Just outsidethemodern dung could have seedsinit. burned andIbeganto wonder if dungremnants, burned deposits hadafibrous ashy thatlooked material like thearchaeological Several of been relevant inantiquity. would which have thelastthree of andstraw asfuel, dung, wood, Villagers usedkerosene, or gaslines. ning water, disposed of the archaeological record how plantswere would into incorporated become what Ibeganto observe Malyan, When of Iwasinthevillage technologies. communities reliantmodern ontraditional culturematerial to make worthwhile comparisons with butthere in are continuities enough ancientcities, with

This discovery explained somepuzzles: It is always to directly risky compare villages modern a a OUE4,NME EXPEDITION VOLUME 44,NUMBER 3 a h nraei h rprino seedsto char- of The increase intheproportion than rather The seedassemblagereflects animal, There were fewseedsrelative to charcoal because — i omnt ihu lcrct,run- electricity, inacommunity without — how gotcharred and they

eouin andhopestodiginIran again. Revolution, worked ontheMuseum’s Malyan Project before theIranian She Archaeology (MASCA). CenterApplied of Science intheMuseum research Miller isasenior scientist Naomi F. fertilizer; The accumulatedtrashisperiodicallytrucked tothefieldsfor side thevillagewall. Hearth contentsaredumpedtheretoo. LEFT visitor suggestedthattheyfunctioned astoiletpaper! . Andthosesmoothrocks? Thearchaeological in theproportionsofincompletely digested people atemorewheat,directevidenceforwhichlay which founditswayintothecharredassemblage,and waswheat.Namely, animalsatemorebarley, gratifying, then,wasthediscoverythatmostof The seeds?Inoneend,outtheother. Particularly drowns, anditscorpsestaysintactuntildecaysetsin. imagine theLaBreaTar Pits—ananimalfallsin, could beacessdeposit.Asfortherodentskeletons, for itself,andthegreenishcolorisatip-off thatit pointed outitwasanancientprivy. Theformspeaks stones. Theexplanation?Avisitingarchaeologist (mainly grape)andsmall,smooth,newpotato–size was chockfullofrodentskeletons,uncharredseeds (about 1meterindiameter).Thegreenishdeposit encountered camefromadeep,straight-sidedpit One ofthemostintriguingsamplesIhaveever a : People throwcourtyard sweepings,primarilydung,out- A CURIOUS ARCHAEOLOGICAL DEPOSIT RIGHT : Map (forsitelocationinIranonly).

NAOMI F. MILLER