Archaeobotanical evidence of agricultural products in the southern Mediterranean part of Turkey during the Bronze Ages from Tatarlı Höyük

Abstract

In this study, archaeobotanical data were gathered from the Early, Middle, and Late Bronze Age layers (2400-1200 BC) of the Tatarlı Höyük exposed in the 2011?2012 excavation seasons in the Ceyhan district of Adana Province were evaluated. In 8 trenches relating to these periods, archaeological contexts such as inside areas, hearths, ovens, middens, ceramic pots, etc., as well as contexts with carbonized plant remains were recovered by using dry and wet sieving methods, corresponding in total to 90 soil samples. The major agricultural plants identified were Triticum monococcum (einkorn wheat), Triticum dicoccum (emmer wheat), Triticum aestivum (bread wheat), Hordeum vulgare (barley), and Lens culinaris (lentil) species. Identified Vitis sylvestris (wild vine), Vitis vinifera (vine), and Olea europaea (olive) species show that fruit cultivation and accordingly wine and olive oil production were carried out during these periods. Archaeobotanical data revealed the changes in the cultivated species during the different Bronze Ages, showing which species were preferred in different periods and whether changes in the climate affected those preferences.