Plant remains from Roman period town of Obulco (today Porcuna) in Andalusia (Spain)—distribution and domestication of olive in the west Mediterranean region

Abstract

The aim of this work is (1) to identify the key characteristics of agriculture and the role of olive in Porcuna (Andalusia) of Roman period and (2) to derive a conclusion about the origin of cultivated olive. The study of the literature showed that the olive is one of the most esteemed fruit species in the Classical Mediterranean world and is considered to have been domesticated first in Levant region. The signs of cultivation appear since the Neolithic. The authors analysed 18 samples from archaeological sites. Sorting and identification were carried out using a binocular microscope with the help of comparative collection of seeds/fruits and identification atlases (Digital Seed Atlas of the Netherlands: Cappers et al. 2006). A total number of 19,616 remains was studied. The remains belong to groups of fruit trees, cereals, pulses and synanthropic plants. The cultivated species were used for domestic purposes. The cereals, pulses and mesocarps of the fruits served as food. Important characteristic trait was the overrepresentation of olives. The authors give a summary of the development that led to the cultivation and domestication of the olive tree and to reconstruct its early diffusion using different sources of information, such as archaeobotanical analysis, archaeological data and genetical studies. As a result, a better understanding of the domestication and use of olive on a Mediterranean scale is given. This study also discusses cultivated and synanthropic species in Roman settlements on the Iberian Peninsula.