A) Set of stone tools, storage area of building 52;
B) Use-wear trace observed on the surface of stone implements;
C) Wheat inflorescence phytolith;
D) Wheat starch grain.Credit: Universitat Pompeu Fabra - Barcelona
Posted on 07/19/2021 8:09:47 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
A study conducted by researchers from the UPF Culture and Socio-Ecological Dynamics research group (CaSEs) and the University of Leicester (UK) has provided a highly dynamic image surrounding the use and importance of hitherto unknown wild plant resources at the Neolithic site of Çatalhöyük (Anatolia, Turkey). The researchers carried out their work combining the analysis of microbotanical remains and use-wear traces in various stone implements recovered from the site, which in the past hosted one of mankind's first agricultural societies.
"We recovered residues trapped in the pits and crevices of these stone artifacts that date back to the time of being used, and then carried out studies of microbotanical remains and thus reveal what types of plants had been processed with these artifacts in the past", the researchers explain.
Among the microscopic remains studied by the researchers are phytoliths, from the deposition of opal silica in plant cells and cell walls, that provide clues about the presence of anatomical parts, such as the stems and husks of plants, including wheat and barley. Another residue studied are starches, glucose compounds, created by plants to store energy, which are found in large quantities in many edible parts of plants, such as seeds and tubers.
Thanks to combining these two lines, the researchers have shown that although the community of Çatalhöyük was based on an agricultural economy by definition, growing cereals and vegetables (wheat, oats, peas), there continued to be much exploitation of wild resources outside the spectrum of domestic resources, which had not yet been found at this site.
(Excerpt) Read more at phys.org ...
A) Set of stone tools, storage area of building 52;
B) Use-wear trace observed on the surface of stone implements;
C) Wheat inflorescence phytolith;
D) Wheat starch grain.Credit: Universitat Pompeu Fabra - Barcelona
Additional article:
A view from the newly excavated area in Çatalhöyük, Konya, central Turkey. (AA Photo)
Congratulations! Your new Kitchen-aid kitchen!
Damn, I was in the exact same place in 1978.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t on an archeological expedition.
Poop.
5.56mm
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