Integrated archaeobotanical evidence on the vegetation reconstruction around the tomb of Sultan Suleiman I at Szigetvár (SW Hungary)

Abstract

During the archaeological excavation of the memorial place (türbe) of the Ottoman sultan Suleiman I, a moat was revealed north of the memorial place in 2015. The moat system was identified by boreholes and excavated in 2015, when 30–30 liter samples were taken from the 250 cm deep moat at 15 cm intervals for archaeobotanical and anthracological analyses. Samples were taken at 10 cm intervals for pollen studies from the archaeological profile of the moat filling. In our publication, based on the previously presented geochronological results, our aim was to reconstruct the vegetation around the memorial tomb of Suleiman, on the basis of archaeobotanical, anthracological and pollen analytical data. We were able to reconstruct ploughed lands (cereal cultivation), vegetable, fruit and vineyards, pasture lands, forest patches and trampled areas related to human activity (settlement). The military census of 1689 indicated similar tract of land structure of the crop production areas. The tomb and the Islamic pilgrimage monastery and pilgrim town (Ottoman name was Türbe kasabası) were demolished from 1692/1693 and divided into agricultural zones, where orchards, arable lands, gardens and vineyards were established.