Lathyrus Consumption in Late Bronze and Iron Age Sites in Israel: an Aegean Afﬁnity

Journal of Archaeological Science 37 (2010) 2477e2485

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Lathyrus consumption in late Bronze and iron age sites in Israel: an Aegean afﬁnity

Yael Mahler-Slasky a,b,c,*, Mordechai E. Kislev c a Martin (Szusz) Dept. of Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel b Kimmel Center for Archaeological Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel c Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel article info abstact

Article history: This paper presents new evidence, together with previous ﬁndings, for the appearance of charred seeds Received 30 January 2010 of Lathyrus sativus (grass pea)/Lathyrus cicera. This grain legume was a food staple in ancient times, Received in revised form principally in the Aegean region, but also appeared sporadically and in a limited way in the archaeo- 14 May 2010 logical record of the southern Levant. It is encountered there ﬁrst in the Late Bronze Age but disappears Accepted 17 May 2010 in the record at the end of the Iron Age. Although a palatable, nutritious plant adapted for growing under adverse conditions, its seeds can be toxic when consumed in large quantities. Apparently L. sativus/cicera Keywords: made its way to the lowlands of the southern Levant, either by trade or with Philistine immigrants. It is Lathyrus Aegean absent at other south Levantine Bronze Age (i.e., Canaanite) and Iron Age sites and it remained a food Philistines component in the southern coastal region (i.e., Philistia, the region associated with the biblical Philis- Ethnic food tines) up to the end of Iron Age II, suggesting a possible ethnic association. Evidence of L. sativus/cicera Archaeobotany joins that of another Aegean archaeobotanical import from an earlier, Middle Bronze Age II context, Iron age Lathyrus clymenum, found at Tel Nami, a coastal site farther to the north of the region. Ó 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction 1992) and Horbat Rosh Zayit (Iron Age II contexts; Kislev and Melamed, 2000)(Fig. 1). Archaeobotanical research in the last few decades has advanced Peoples of this region in the Middle Bronze and Late Bronze Ages to a level that enables the reconstruction of plant-based portions of are conventionally identified as the biblical Canaanites, while later diets of site-specific populations and their significance in recon- Iron Age peoples are somewhat more ethnically diverse and generally struction of ancient site-based economies. Recent Levantine Bronze associated with different geographical regions. The biblical Israelites Age and Iron Age discoveries (second millennium BCE to ca. 496 are believed to have inhabited the hill country of Judea, Samaria and BCE) indicate that denizens of the southern Levant cultivated local Galilee, the Philistines the southern coastal and piedmont plateaus plants of the area, cereals, such as wheat and barley, fruits, such as (Philistia), and groups of later Canaanites and their descendants, the grapes, figs, olives and legumes, including lentils and vetches. Phoenicians, some northern valley sites and the northern coastal Remnants of these plants have been found at various sites in the plain (southern Phoenicia). On the issue of the ethnic identification of region and have been reported on for a number of periods. Exam- the various groups in south Levantine Iron Age, including, inter alia, ples of such discoveries are from Shiloh (Middle Bronze Age and the Israelites and Philistines, as well as discussions on the theoretical Iron Age I contexts; Kislev, 1993a), Lachish (Early Bronze Age II and definition of ethnicities, see, e.g., Faust, 2007; Killebrew 2005.The Iron Age II contexts; Helbaek, 1958), Deir Alla (Late Bronze Age discussion on the archaeological definition of the various groups in through the end of the Iron Age contexts; Neef, 1989; van Zeist and the area of the southern Levant, is beyond the scope of this paper but Heeres, 1973), Pella (Bronze Age and Iron Age contexts; Willcox, is discussed in the reference above. Contrary to the claim that all foreign peoples that settled in the southern Levant raised and consumed only indigenous crops and fruits (e.g., Helbaek, 1958), we report here about another food ingredient, a cultivated legume e Lathyrus sativus/cicera. * Corresponding author. Martin (Szusz) Dept. of Land of Israel Studies and We have found it at two sites: Tel Miqne, dated to the 1st quarter Archaeology, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel. Tel.: þ972 8 9346101; of the12th century BCE and Ashkelon, dated to ca 604 BCE. Our fax: þ972 8 9346062. E-mail address: [email protected] (Y. Mahler-Slasky). findings from these sites, in addition to earlier findings of L. sativus/

food (i.e., preferred by people of a particular ethnic tradition), even as it remains to the present in some regions of the globe. It presents some new evidence of archaeobotanical ﬁnds of L. sativus/cicera in Israel in Late Bronze and Iron Age contexts, reviews earlier examples of its presence and also discusses evidence for another cultivated Aegean import, L. clymenum (Kislev and Hopf, 1985; Kislev et al., 1993, 2006)

2. Nutritional background

2.1. The plant and its relation to the motor-neuron disease lathyrism

L. sativus and L. cicera are related, cultivated species, belonging to section Cicercula of the genus Lathyrus. Both have a short, ﬂat pod that usually contains 3 to 5 smooth, subquadrate, slightly compressed seeds, each 3e15 mm long; the longer seeds occurring only in L. sativus (Figs. 2 and 3). There are many cultivars of L. sativus that may be characterized by seed morphology, despite the large variability in size and shape of each type of seed, even within the same plant. Seed size and shape of small-seed varieties of L. sativus may overlap those of L. cicera. This similarity was even more pronounced in ancient times because the seeds of L. sativus were probably smaller than those of modern plants. It is therefore difﬁ- cult to distinguish between L. sativus and L. cicera in archaeological samples. The only way is by analyzing seed coats, the sole param- eter that clearly differentiates between them (Chernoff et al., 1992; Kislev and Hopf, 1985).

2.2. The nutritional value

L. sativus is a grain legume consumed both by humans and animals. Today it is an important economic crop in such places as India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and Ethiopia, mainly in areas

Fig. 1. Map of archaeological sites referenced in this article (based on a map drawn by J Rosenberg, courtesy of Aren Maeir, director of the Tell es-Safi/Gath Archaeological Project). cicera from Tel Batash, dated to the 15th century BCE (Kislev et al., 2006), Tel Qasile, dated ca early 11th century BCE (Kislev and Hopf, 1985) and L. Clymenum, another cultivated Lathyrus species, from Tel Nami dated to ca 1950e1750 BCE (Kislev et al., 1993), provide an indication that the cultivated legume may have been introduced to the south Levantine Coast. Whether this was accomplished by immigrants or through trade remains obscure, but this food source was anyway likely to have been preferred by Aegean immigrants, including the Philistines, as part of their traditional lifestyle. On unique Philistine dietary customs see Ben-Shlomo et al., 2008; Killebrew and Lev-Tov, 2008; Maeir, 2008. L. sativus (grass pea), found sporadically and in limited quantities in archaeological excavations in the southern lowlands, is known to have been an Aegean crop for thousands of years (Kislev, 1989; Ladizinsky, 1989) e In archaeobotanical material it is not possible to distinguish between the seeds of L. sativus and those of the closely related L. cicera. Therefore in this work we refer to both Fig. 2. Lathyrus sativus/cicera seeds from Tel Miqne, field I, Building Complex 150 of species as L. sativus/cicera. Stratum VIIIA, first quarter of the 12th century BCE. Side view of carbonized seeds from This paper examines different aspects of this crop legume, different locations in the pod. AeB. Terminal seeds near the pod base. CeD. Seeds from which indicate the likelihood that L. sativus/cicera was an “ethnic” the middle of the pod. E. Terminal seed close to the style. Y. Mahler-Slasky, M.E. Kislev / Journal of Archaeological Science 37 (2010) 2477e2485 2479

Fig. 3. Lathyrus sativus/cicera seeds from Tel Ashkelon, Grid 50, Building 58, Room 52, 604 BCE. Side view of carbonized seeds from different locations in the pod. The radicle is on the top right. A. Terminal seed near the pod base. BeC. Seeds from the middle of the pod. D. Terminal seed close to the style. that suffer from frequent famines and food shortages (Campbell, sativus seeds for 1 hour followed by decanting the water removes 1997). It is even the subject of sophisticated research, especially about 70% of the b-ODAP from the seeds (Jha, 1987) However, as L. sativus is endowed with many properties that make it an breeding efforts have been conducted in order to achieve new attractive source of nourishment (e.g., Polignano et al., 2009). It is clones of L. sativus with reduced amounts of ODAP (Barceloux, eminently palatable, nutritious and adapted to grow in harsh 2009; Hugon et al., 2000; Santha and Mehra, 2001). environments characterized by drought or flooding. It has a hardy, penetrating root system that enables it to grow in a wide range of 3. On the origin of cultivation of L. sativus soil types, including poor soils and heavy clays. These properties, together with its ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen shared with Evidence of archaeobotanical remains from various sites indi- other legumes, make it a crop that can be raised under adverse cates a long tradition of cultivation and human consumption of L. conditions. Compared with other legumes, L. sativus is resistant to sativus in the Balkan Peninsula and the Aegean islands, beginning many pests, including storage insects. In the Mediterranean region, with the Neolithic period when the plant was domesticated (Kislev, the Near East and elsewhere in subtropical climates, L. sativus is 1989). In order for it to be recognized in the archaeological record, a cold-season legume, whereas in central Europe it is grown as analysis of such archaeobotanical finds must take into account the a summer crop (Butler, 2009; Campbell, 1997; Kislev and Hopf, quantities of seeds found, as there are wild species in the genus 1985; Palmer et al., 1989; Rathod, 1989). Lathyrus section Cicercula such as L. gorgon and L. marmoratus Despite its agricultural and economic advantages, L. sativus is (Zohary, 1972) that can accompany various plants or weeds. These currently grown primarily in poor, third-world countries because it, species are similar to L. sativus and the best way to distinguish as well as the cultivated Lathyrus species L. cicera and L. clymenum, between them and the cultivated species is by the number of seeds can be toxic when consumed in large quantities. Their seeds found. When only between 1 and 10 Lathyrus seeds are observed contain the neurotoxic amino acid e b-N-oxalylamino-a,b-dia- they cannot be considered as evidence of a cultivated species but minopropionic acid (ODAP), considered to be responsible for the rather are considered to be indicative of wild plants (Kislev, 1989). motor-neuron disease e lathyrism (or neurolathyrism). There are A closely related species, L. cicera, is suggested to have been traditional methods regarding how to remove the toxin (for domesticated in southern France and the Iberian Peninsula in example, recorded in the village of Adi Ainawalid in the highland of either the 3rd or 4th millennium BCE and was also raised for food. Ethiopia: Butler et al., 1999). b-ODAP is water soluble, and boiling L. Cultivation of these two closely related species in adjacent regions, 2480 Y. Mahler-Slasky, M.E. Kislev / Journal of Archaeological Science 37 (2010) 2477e2485 and the unlikelihood of them being distinguished from one another 12th century BCE by Aegean immigrants identified with the biblical by most farmers or animal husbandmen might have led them to be Philistines (Cross and Stager, 2006; Maeir et al., 2008). grown as mixed crops in many ancient fields (Kislev, 1989; Accordingly, that region is known by archaeologists as Philistia Townsend and Guest, 1974). Thus, it is logical to assume that (Dothan, 1998; 2000). There is considerable literature on unique growing of L. satuvus and L. cicera as mixed crops was equally true aspects of the early Philistine culture, which enable us to identify it in ancient times in the Near East. as mainly of foreign origin (see, e.g., Ben-Shlomo et al., 2008; Cross According to the archaeobotanical record of the southern Levant and Stager, 2006; Dothan, 1998; 2000; Maeir, 2008; Maeir et al., that documents the presence of domesticated Lathyrus species 2008; Stager, 1995), Philistine material culture is significantly (Kislev, 1989; Kislev et al., 1993) and evidence of significant quan- different from that of indigenous peoples (i.e., Canaanites), and can tities of L. sativus seeds from a Chalcolithic site in western Asia be traced in it’s long history of local development (Dothan, 1982; Minor (Nesbitt, 1996), it appears that cultivation of Lathyrus 1995; Killebrew, 2000; Mazar, 2000). expanded to beyond the Aegean region in two directions. To the west it went as far as Hungary, where Lathyrus seeds dated to the 4.3. Tel Nami 16e14th centuries BCE have been found, while it also moved eastward in the Middle Bronze Age (approx. 1st half of the 3rd L. clymenum (relatively to L. sativus) is only rarely reported on in millennium BCE) in the direction of the Levant (see above) and archaeobotanical literature on economic and agricultural activity in Syria-Mesopotamia. Domesticated seeds of Lathyrus have been Greece (Sarpaki and Jones, 1990) and countries of the western found at the Middle Bronze Age site of Tiszaalpár in Hungary Mediterranean, while it remains un-reported from other areas. It is (Hartyányi, 1982). In Syria, the sites where domesticated Lathyrus native to some Mediterranean islands, southern Europe and parts seeds have been found include occupations dating between 2200 of Northern Africa, but not to Cyprus, Egypt and the Levant. Thus, it and 2000 BCE at Tell es Sweyhat and between 1900 and 1500 BCE at is significant that 259 charred seeds of L. clymenum (Spanish Tell Hadidi (van Zeist and Bakker-Heeres, 1988). In Iraq they have vetchling) were found in situ, in four storage jars and scattered on been identified in levels dated between 2100 and 1800 BCE at Tell the floors of two store rooms dated to the Middle Bronze Age IIA Bazmosian (Helbaek, 1963) and at Tell Yelkhi of the 20th through (Table 1) at Tel Nami, a coastal site south of Haifa, Israel. Discovery 18th Centuries BCE (Costantini and Costantini-Biasini, 1985). of a pile of L. clymenum seeds at such a site suggests they were Since the oldest carbonized L. sativus/cicera seeds are from the late imported from the west, one of a number of indications that 8th millennium BCE Nevali Çori, Anatolia, scholars (Pasternak, 1998; maritime contacts existed between the Aegean and the southern Zohary and Hopf, 2000) have suggested that as early as that era L. Levant during the first quarter of the 2nd millennium BCE (Yasur- sativus may have also been cultivated in other areas of the Near East. Landau and Cline, 2009). According to the excavators, demands However, Kislev (1989) showed that a clear trend is indicated- for the import of L. clymenum originated either with “local inhab- until 2500 BCE, where all the earliest finds with more than 10 seeds itants” (merchants, sailors) who acquired an exotic and presumably counted, are from the eastern Balkan Penisula. Moreover as this is expensive taste for an Aegean food or with Aegeans from abroad, the location of the most dense finds of later periods, most scholars who imported the ingredients for their own cuisine (Kislev accept a Balkan origin for the plant’s domestication. (Kislev, 1989). et al., 1993).

4. Results 4.4. Tel Batash

4.1. Archaeobotanical discoveries of seeds of cultivated lathyrus at Tel Batash (biblical Timna, birthplace of the infamous Delilah) in sites in Israel the Judean Shephela on the south bank of the Soreq Valley, is sit- uated on an important road leading from Philistia to the hill Charred seeds of cultivated Lathyrus species have been found in country and Jerusalem (Mazar and Kelm, 1993; Panitz-Cohen and six archaeological contexts in the southern Levant (Table 1). Two of Mazar, 2006). Fifty four charred seeds of L. sativus/cicera (defined the sites, Tel Miqne and Ashkelon, are new and fully presented here as Lathyrus sect. Cicercula) were found at Tel Batash in Locus 494 of for the first time. Others have already been reported by our group. Stratum VIII, which is dated to the Late Bronze Age IB (ca. 15th Our results show all finds arranged according to site and period. The century BCE). Those seeds were found in destruction debris on the L. sativus/cicera seeds were identified using the reference collection floor of the entrance room of Building 475, identified as an elabo- of the archaeobotanical laboratory of Bar-Ilan University, Israel. rate residence of elite members of society. In the same building were found shards of imported Mycenaean and Cypriot pottery 4.2. The ethno-historical background (Mazar, 1997; Kislev et al., 2006). The discovery of these seeds in an elite household, together with imported, prestige items from the The southern Coastal Plain and portions of the Judean piedmont Aegean region, indicates trade with the Aegean world in this period. (Judean Shephela) now in modern Israel, was settled around the 4.5. Tel Miqne

Table 1 Tel Miqne, at one time a Canaanite city, later in its history Charred, cultivated Lathyrus species found in Israel (Finds of less than 10 seeds are identified with biblical Ekron of the Philistine Pentapolis, is located not included). at the western edge of the inner coastal plain, a region bordering Site Chrono-cultural Periods and Reference the Judean Shephela. Their Conventional Dating (BCE) The town dominates an ancient network of highways leading e Tel Nami Middle Bronze Age IIA (1950 1750) Kislev et al., 1993 northeast from Ashdod to Beth Shemesh (ca 35 km south west of Tel Batash Late Bronze Age IB (15th C.) Kislev et al., 2006 fi Tel Miqne Late Bronze Age IIB (first quarter of Mahler-Slasky, 2004 Jerusalem) near Tel Batash (Dothan and Gitin, 1993, 2008). The ve the 12th C) most prominent Philistine towns in the biblical scholarship known Tel Qasile Area A Iron Age IB (11th C.) Kislev and Hopf, 1985 as the Pentapolis are Ashdod, Ashkelon, Ekron, Gath and Gaza. Tel Qasile Area C Iron Age IB (11th C.) Kislev and Hopf, 1985 Close to 600 seeds of L. sativus/cicera (Fig. 2), identified by the Tel Ashkelon Iron Age IIC (604) Mahler-Slasky, 2004 present writers were recovered from the acropolis (Field I upper) of Y. Mahler-Slasky, M.E. Kislev / Journal of Archaeological Science 37 (2010) 2477e2485 2481

Canaanite Tel Miqne in the destruction of Building Complex 150 of Table 2 Stratum VIIIA. The seeds were found in a locally made bowl, Archaeobotanical Remains from Ashkelon (604 BCE, Phase 7, Grid 50, Building 58, Room 52). unmixed with seeds of other plant species. That context is dated to the last phase of the Late Bronze Age IIB occupation, which ended in English name Latin name Organ Quantity a fiery destruction at the end of the first quarter of the 12th century Legumes BCE. That occupation had an international character with wide- Grass pea Lathyrus sativus/cicera Seed 7985 ranging trade and cultural contacts, as indicated by the diversity of Lentil Lens culinaris Seed 13 ceramic imports associated with it. Imports include objects of Cereals Cypriot and Aegean origin (Dothan, 1998; Dothan and Gitin, 1993, Wheat Triticum parvicoccum Grain 42 Triticum dicoccum Fork 1 2008; Mahler-Slasky, 2004). Barley Hordeum vulgare Grain 8 Internode 1 4.6. Tell Qasile Fruits Grape vine Vitis vinifera Pip 5 Tell Qasile, now within the modern city of Tel Aviv, is located on Raisin 3 the northern bank of the Yarkon River. Its inhabitants founded the Weeds and plants accompanying grass pea settlement as a port a short distant inland from the sea coast. Cicer pinnatifidum Seed 1 During the second half of the 12th Century BCE when settlement Galium sect. Kolgyda Seed 9 expanded from the heartland of Philistia to the north, east and Lathyrus sect. Cicercula Seed 28 south. On the basis of their material culture, its inhabitants have Vicia sp. Seed 1 Cow pea Vigna luteola Seed 1 been identified as Philistines. Thus, the site was understood to have been at the northwestern periphery of Philistia, was founded in Weeds accompanying cereals a second phase of Philistine settlement when a kind of bichrome Bupleurum subovatum Achene 2 Lolium temulentum Grain 6 pottery production associated with them was in its heyday. Charred seeds of L. sativus/cicera were found in two separate Wild plants cf. Capparis spinosa Seed 3 locations in Stratum X, dated to ca 1050e980 BCE and understood cf. Convolvulus secundus Seed 5 to be the third in a succession of Philistine occupations at the site. A cf. Euphorbia Capsule 1 cache of approximately 7200 seeds was found in a jar in Storage Thymelaea hirsuta Nutlet 1 Room O6 within a large house in Area A, while another store of ca. 5400 seeds was recovered from a silo in Room 168 of Building 225 Legume insect pests Bruchus sp. Adult 3 Total 8119 in Area C. According to the excavators, Room 168 served for storage and household activities (Kislev and Hopf, 1985; Mazar, 1980). similarity the Galium seeds found in the Ashkelon L. sativus/cicera 4.7. Tel Ashkelon collection were not identified to the species level. Wheat and barley grains found amongst the L. sativus/cicera Ashkelon, north of Gaza, is a port on the southern coastal road seeds, and weeds often found in association with them, such as (the ancient via Maris) linking these two towns of the Philistine Lolium temulentum, may be residues from cereal crops grown in Pentapolis. This previously Canaanite town was settled by Philis- rotation with L. sativus/cicera in the same fields. Since L. sativus/ fi tines rst in ca 1175 BCE. Excavation has provided evidence of cicera fixes atmospheric nitrogen, it can be used to improve soils. L. a checkered history of settlement and rebuilding represented by sativus is also reported to be sown mixed with other crops a number of strata. Its Philistine association was brought to an end (Campbell, 1997), although only a few seeds of those additional when it was destroyed in 604 BCE by Nebuchadnezzar, King of species were found. Thus, our discovery of these cereal grains and Babylon (Stager, 1993; Stager et al., 2008). their associated weeds may be a result of growing cereal crops in Charred botanical material, including remnants of L. sativus/ rotation with L. sativus/cicera. cicera seeds (Fig. 3), was discovered in two samples, both of which Thymelaea hirsuta, which we also identified, is a wild shrub derive from Grid 50, Building 58, Room 52 in Phase 7 (a market- that grows in light soils (Zohary, 1972). Its appearance suggests ’ place), a phase understood to represent Nebuchadnezzar s the L. sativus/cicera seeds derive from fields where such soils are destruction of Ashkelon in the Late Iron Age II (Stager, 1996a, found, which could well be in the region of Ashkelon. The envi- 1996b). Circa 8000 charred seeds of L. sativus/cicera were found in rons of the site are notable for kurkar (calcareous sandstone) Room 52, most of them in association with a typical, locally made ridges separated by long, narrow troughs between these ridges storage jar of the 7th century BCE. Additional archaeobotanical where such soils are found. fi fi nds were identi ed in the same context, albeit in small quantities Signs of a low degree of insect-pest infestation of the L. sativus/ (see Table 2; Mahler-Slasky, 2004). cicera seeds were also noted in this context. Following an intensive The wild legume Vigna luteola (cow pea) found amidst the seeds search for minute evidence, three parts of Bruchus beetles were of L. sativus/cicera, is a species that does not grow west of the Levant found (Fig. 4). As has been demonstrated for the pea weevil, Bru- (Greuter et al., 1989). Therefore, it is assumed that its presence in chus pisorum (Brindley et al., 1958), this related field pest can also one cache indicates the L. sativus/cicera seeds we examined were remove from the field to the storage room. not imported from the Aegean region and were probably grown locally. The additional species minimally represented in the sample 5. Discussion could also be explained as vegetation that grew in the same field as L. sativus/cicera. Lentil and weeds, such as Cicer pinnatifidum (wild 5.1. Legumes in archaeobotanical contexts chickpea), often accompany legumes crops in the field. Weeds such as Galium tricornutum, with seeds very similar to seeds of other Legume seeds are exceptionally rich in storage proteins and Galium species that belong to section Kolgyda, are also known to thus, have been an important component of human diet since accompany legumes (Feinbrun-Dothan, 1978). Because of this ancient times. Our list of where such seeds have been found in 2482 Y. Mahler-Slasky, M.E. Kislev / Journal of Archaeological Science 37 (2010) 2477e2485

Finds of L. sativus seeds from the archaeobotanical records of Syria and Iraq are probably due to Aegean inﬂuence. This legume is well suited for cultivation in those regions and when reaching them it may even have been preferred to other legume species due to its resistance to climate stress (Riehl, 2010). It can produce high yields of a palatable legume that outweighed the toxic properties that could be reduced by special treatment. Moreover, people could not have been aware of the connection between Lathyrus and its neurotoxic (paralytic) effects.

5.3. The Aegean afﬁnity

The first evidence of the appearance of cultivated Lathyrus in the Levant is during the first quarter of the second millennium BCE and apparently resulted from trade, as implied by the context of L. clymenum at the coastal location of Tel Nami. The finds of L. sativus/cicera at Tel Batash, a site farther inland, also suggest interaction with the Aegean world. The archaeological context of the seeds in an elite residence there should be understood as evidence of importation from Aegean sources, not only of pottery but also of foodstuffs. The finds from Tel Batash may herald the beginning of Mycenaean influence that can be seen in the area in later centuries (c. 1400e1200 BCE) when trade and foreign cultural orientation resulting from immigration is obvious (Dothan and Dothan, 1992). Fig. 4. Bruchus sp. Incomplete adult beetle with thorax and abdomen, ventral view. The L. sativus/cicera seeds from Tel Miqne, dating to the end of the The femur of the hind left leg is seen (on the right). Six abdomen segments are Late Bronze Age, are representatives of the last stages of Aegean observed at the bottom. Found in a pile of Lathyrus sativus/cicera seeds. Tel Ashkelon, imports to the region, prior to the arrivals of the Philistines and other Grid 50, Building 58, Room 52. Sea Peoples (Dothan, 1995). Though early Iron Age shards of Myce- naean IIIC:1b pottery and bichrome (i.e., Philistine) pottery were archaeological contexts is, of course, limited to sites where found in the same context, they are thought to have been intrusive archaeobotanical investigations have been conducted. It is also into the Late Bronze Age level to which the seeds belong (S. Gitin constrained by technical problems related to the extraction of personal communication). At sites contemporary to the above- legume seeds during archaeological excavation. Charred archae- mentioned Bronze Age sites, where archaeobotanical investigation obotanical material is mainly recovered during excavation by was carried out, other legume seeds were found (Table 3), but flotation (French, 1971), during which legume seeds tend to sink L. sativus/cicera was absent from the record. and therefore are often not retained in samples. Thus, such In the southern Levant in the Iron Age, L. sativus/cicera extraction methods require particular attention paid to the pres- consumption was restricted to the coast of Philistia where it has ence of legume seeds in samples prior to flotation. In order for such been found at two locations, in the Iron Age I Philistine town of Tell seeds not to be overlooked or lost, samples should be sought and Qasile (Kislev and Hopf, 1985), and in the Iron Age II occupation at removed by alternate methods such as dry or wet sieving. Those Ashkelon, which was likely to have been mostly peopled by constraints suggest it may be present in the archaeological record descendants of the Philistine invaders of the 12th Century BCE. fi fi to a degree greater than is presently known. These nds are from well-de ned contexts and therefore are very Thus, our comparison between regions that include sites where likely related to the Philistine cultural group, which brought the L. sativus/cicera has been found and sites in other regions is truly Aegean tradition of L. sativus consumption to its settlements. useful only if legumes have actually been actively and properly The discovery of L. sativus/cicera at Tell Qasile indicates the sought and reported on there as well. Table 3, which summarizes data Philistines maintained their Aegean traditions during Iron Age I, from sites in Israel and Jordan where significant numbers of legume even in the second stage of their settlement of the coast. The seeds seeds (more than 10) have been found in contexts dating between the from Tell Qasile, found in Building 225, adjacent to Temple 131, may Middle Bronze Age and the end of the Iron Age, indicates 14 sites indicate an association of L. sativus/cicera with Philistine ritual. where significant quantities of legume seeds have been found for this time span. 5.4. L. sativus as a local crop

The wild legume, V. luteola (cow pea), found with the L. sativus/ 5.2. The history of Lathyrus cultivation cicera seeds in a late Iron Age context at Ashkelon, suggests local cultivation of L. sativus/cicera as opposed to its importation from Most evidence of domesticated Lathyrus species from the the Aegean region. The light soils of the coastal plain could have Neolithic period through the Bronze and the Iron Ages derives from been a suitable and convenient place for cultivating this legume, the Aegean region (Kislev, 1989; Zohary and Hopf, 2000). Beginning which can grow in wide range of soil types. Such light soils, in the Middle Bronze Age, domesticated Lathyrus species (L. sativus, however, are not suitable for wheat cultivation; that grain is opti- L. cicera and L. clymenum) are found to have been dispersed from mally grown in silt and clay loam (Delorit et al., 1974). The range of the Balkans, the region where probably they were originally culti- archaeobotanical remains from Ashkelon shows a variety of food vated, to the region of modern Hungary and later, eastwards. This plants used by the descendants of the original Philistines, including latter expansion initially involved the regions occupied by the a large number of cereals, legumes and fruits (Mahler-Slasky, 2004; modern states of Syria, Iraq and Israel. Weiss and Kislev, 2004). Thus, L. sativus was not used by them as Y. Mahler-Slasky, M.E. Kislev / Journal of Archaeological Science 37 (2010) 2477e2485 2483

Table 3 Archaeobotanic Evidence of Legume Species from the Middle Bronze Age until the end of the Iron Age from Sites in the Southern Levant. * ¼ 10e100 seeds, ** ¼ 100e1000 seeds, ***¼ >1000 seeds.

Site Period Approximate Cicer Lathyrus Lathyrus Lens Pisum Vicia Vicia Vicia Trigonella Reference Dates (BCE) arietinum clymenum sativus/cicera culinaris sativum ervilia faba narbonensis/ foenum- galilaea graecum Tel Nami MB IIA 1950e1750 ** Kislev et al., 1993 Giv'at Sharet MB IIB 18th Century * ** ** Kislev, in press Shiloh late MB 1650/1600e1550 * Kislev, 1993a Tel Batash LB 15th Century * Kislev et al., 2006 Tel Batash LB 14th Century ** Kislev et al., 2006 Tel Batash LB 13th-early 12th *** Kislev et al., 2006 Century Tel Miqne LB 1200e1175 ** ** *** Mahler-Slasky, 2004 Tel Aphek LB 13th Century * * Kislev and Mahler- Slasky, 2009 Deir 'Alla LB 1200 ** * van Zeist and Heeres, 1973 Deir 'Alla Early Iron 1200e1150 * * *** van Zeist and Heeres, Age 1973 Pella Iron Age 1200e600 ** Willcox, 1992 Afula Iron Age I 11th Century *** Zaitschek, 1955 Tel Aphek Iron Age I 11th Century * ** Kislev and Mahler- Slasky, 2009 Tel Hadar Iron Age I 11th Century ** *** Kislev, in press Tel Keisan Iron Age I 11th Century * Kislev, 1980 Tel Qasile Iron Age I 11th Century *** * *** Kislev, 1993b; Kislev and Hopf, 1985 Shiloh Iron Age I 1150e1050 ** * Kislev, 1993a Tel Aphek early Iron 10th Century * ** * Kislev and Mahler- Age II Slasky, 2009 H. Rosh-zayit Iron Age II 10th-9th ** Kislev and Melamed, Centuries 2000 Motza Iron Age II 9th Century *** Y. Melamed, personal communication Deir 'Alla Iron Age II 800 ** * ** * Neef, 1989 Tel Ashkelon Iron Age II 604 * *** * ** Mahler-Slasky, 2004; Weiss and Kislev, 2004

a famine food in times of shortage but rather as a nutritional, The transfer of ethnic food plants to new lands by emigrating palatable, legume supplement to their diet. populations is well documented as immigrants are known to be That suggests the Late Iron Age population of Ashkelon was not conservative in their diet preferences (e.g., Devine et al., 1999; likely to have suffered from neurolathyrism, which primarily affects Vavilov, 1926). There are many studies involving the major role of people who consume Lathyrus as their main nutritional component food, its consumption, preparation and its storage in facilities on (Hugon et al., 2000). This seems especially true as these coastal different cultures. Those of particular interest to this work concern inhabitants could have grown it in the nearby, saline, soils, which the Philistines, which indicate them as a distinct ethnic group (e.g. may reduce the seed’s toxin levels, as shown by Haque et al. (1992) Ben-Shlomo et al., 2008; Finkelstein, 1997; Maeir, 2008; Yasur- and Abd el Moneim et al., 2001. Nevertheless, it is possible that Landau, 2005). impoverished individuals at the edges of society or those that had L. sativus/cicera is not the sole food component typical to the a particular preference for the tasty L. sativus/cicera, ate large Philistine culture. Pork consumption is also known to be particu- amounts and developed that condition. Its presence could be larly associated with Philistine, which appears to indicate an confirmed if more human skeletal remains were to be found at Aegean connection, with some scholars (Ben-Shlomo et al. 2008; Philistine sites and examined, as proposed by Kislev and Hopf Killebrew and Lev-Tov, 2008; Maeir, 2008) suggesting these (1985), since neurolathyrism is likely to be associated with osteo- particular dietary customs may even be unique to this ethnic group. lathyrism. The latter condition would produce characteristic skel- Relatively large numbers of pig (Sus scrofa) bones from Iron Age I etal abnormalities in its victims (Hugon et al., 2000) that could be contexts have been found at Ashkelon, Tel Miqne and Tel Batash, ascertained by physical anthropologists. while at other, contemporary sites in the southern Levant such L. sativus/cicera was probably an imported choice of food that bones are nearly absent. That particular pattern of large scale may be said to be associated with the Philistines, thus making it an consumption of pork was, until recently, considered as only an Iron “ethnic food”, a component of the Philistines diet in their Aegean Age I phenomenon (Hesse, 1986; Hesse, 1990; Hesse and Wapnish, homeland, which they did not give up when they immigrated to the 1997) related to sites where Philistine material culture prevailed southern Levant. Modern examples of the associations of this food and which helps to distinguish them as an ethnic group. Thus, pork type are known, which indicate its importance to some ethnic consumption was thought to have lessened in the later phases of groups. Butler et al. (1999) noted the use of L. sativus in the village the Iron Age, perhaps suggesting a waning of Philistine ethnicity. of Adi Ainawalid in the highlands of Ethiopia, where such seeds However, it is now clear that at least at Tel es-Safi (Philistine Gath), were treated so as to remove their toxicity, a process handed down the consumption of pork did not diminish in the later Iron Age (Lev- from one generation to the next. In Spain L. sativus seeds are Tov, in press). That suggests the consumption of L. sativus/cicera,as actually used in specific religious rituals in small villages (Peña- does the considerable consumption of pork, indicate an association Chocarro and Zapata Peña, 1999). with the biblical Philistines. 2484 Y. Mahler-Slasky, M.E. Kislev / Journal of Archaeological Science 37 (2010) 2477e2485

6. Summary Dor and Ashkelon. Archaeological Institute of America Colloquia & Conference Papers. Kendall/Hunt, Dubuque, Ohio, pp. 41e59. No. 1. Dothan, T., 1998. Initial Philistine settlementfrom migration to coexistence. In: The earliest evidence in the southern Levant of Lathyrus seeds Gitin, S., Mazar, A., Stern, E. (Eds.), Mediterranean Peoples in Transition: derives from sites of the Bronze Age, Tel Nami, Tel Batash and Tel Thirteenth to Early Tenth Centuries BCE. Israel Exploration Society, Jerusalem, e Miqne. There they are known to appear in contexts pointing to pp. 148 161. Dothan, T., 2000. Reflections on the Initial Phase of Philistine Settlement: Type Site- trade relations between the Aegean region and the southern Tel Miqne-Ekron. In: Oren, E (Ed.), The Sea Peoples and Their World: A Reas- Levant. Philistines settling in the southern Levant in Iron Age I, sessment. 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