Archaeobotanical Remains from Tel Gezer, Israel, and their Implications for the ‘Threshing Floors’ of Field VI

Abstract

ABSTRACT Alternating laminae of charred ash and packed earth uncovered in Field VI of Tel Gezer, Israel, have been interpreted as the remains of Iron Age threshing floors. Recent geoarchaeological research has, however, led to the reinterpretation of similar deposits elsewhere as the remains of a trash heap. This paper presents the results of analysis and dating of charred plant remains that were recovered from the laminated deposit of Gezer Field VI and reassesses their implications for the origins of the strata. A broad spectrum of potentially cultivated crops and arable weeds are identified, matching contemporary archaeobotanical assemblages elsewhere in the region. The archaeobotanical remains are found to be inconsistent with the residues expected to derive from a threshing floor. Rather, they appear to derive from a range of depositional pathways. This is consistent with a context into which numerous sources of plant remains were deposited, such as a midden. Evidence for the potential use of this space as a multi-purpose activity area will be a focus of future research. The dating of the archaeobotanical remains also aligns with a recently developed radiocarbon-based chronology to suggest that the laminated deposit is dated several centuries earlier than previously thought.