Considerations regarding the macrobotanical remains from ceramic vessels found at Șoimuș – La Avicola (Ferma 2), Hunedoara County

Abstract

In 2011, a joint team from various cultural institutions (“Vasile Pârvan” Institute of Archaeology, Museum of Dacian and Roman Civilisation and National Romanian History Museum) have collaborated in rescue excavations on the A1 highway (Lugoj– Deva). This research uncovered a multi‑stratified settlement with occupations dated to the Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman and Medieval periods. The Neolithic period (Vinča culture) is represented by two main layers. Radiocarbon dated the Neolithic occupation between the end of the sixth millennium and the beginning of the fifth millennium BC (Vinča culture, B and C phases). It this study, the contents of twenty‑one complete and fragmented ceramic pots were analysed. The infill sediment from these vessels was wet sieved. The soil infill of eleven vessels yielded macrobotanical remains, mainly charred seeds. The context of these pots are as follows : five vessels were discovered in pits, two were found in dwellings, three came from the occupational layers, and one from an unknown context. The archaeobotanical samples recovered consist of fragments of caryopses, chaff of wheat (Triticum sp.) and einkorn (Triticum monococcum) and some seeds of weeds and shrubs.