Abstract
Since Naomi Miller’s first discussion of dung fuel within macro-botanical samples from Malyan, Iran, considerations of dung fuel across Southwest Asia have become commonplace, yet archaeobotanists remain divided on: (1) the extent to which dung fuel contributed to archaeobotanical assemblages relative to remnants of repeated crop processing and household activities; and (2) the plant-based, middle-range theories that should be used to infer the presence of dung within macro-botanical assemblages. Here we present a case-study integrating a simple, well-established geo-archaeological approach to assess the presence and relative abundance of dung spherulites within paired sediment and flotation samples from Ubaid period Tell Zeidan, Syria (5300–5100 bc). Spherulite data generated from “sediment smears” are integrated with macro-botanical and phytolith data to assess elevated concentrations of dung within samples. Our analyses demonstrate that plant-based depositional processes across a site are complex, reflecting the rich nature of plant use in antiquity. By using a multi-proxy approach, it is possible to differentiate between predominantly fuel-based deposits and those resulting from predominantly crop-processing processes with greater resolution. This study documents the use of wood fuels in hearths and dung fuel within pyrotechnic features and an oven during the Ubaid period, thereby contributing to discussions of fuel selection and the Secondary Products Revolution. When spherulites are preserved within sediment in abundance, they are also present in floated material, so it is possible to use this approach to consider the presence of dung within archived macro-botanical samples and resolve decade-old debates.
Highlights
Following the introduction of flotation as a tool for recovering charred plant remains from archaeological sediments in the 1960s and 1970s (Jarman et al 1972), the range of questions posed by archaeobotanists examining macro-remains across Southwest Asia has steadily broadened from studies of important economic taxa and the nature and timing of the origins of agriculture to include examinations of crop processing stages and agronomic methods used by farmers; landscape use; the identification of activity areas across sites; social organization of labor; and the dynamic relationships between subsistence strategies, environmental change, and socio-economic organization (e.g. Hillman 1975; Hillman et al 1989; Bogaard et al 1999; Jones et al 2010; Stevens 2003; Miller 2010; Graham and Smith 2013; Riehl 2009)
The archaeobotanical community as a whole generally accepts that charred dung fuel is preserved archaeologically across Southwest Asia, yet researchers remain divided on: (1) the extent to which dung fuel contributes to archaeobotanical assemblages relative to remnants of repeated crop processing and household activities; and (2) the approaches that should be used to infer the presence of dung within macro-botanical assemblages
The full range of techniques may prove useful in the future, but here we focus on spherulites because their presence has repeatedly been reported in archaeological sediments across Southwest Asia (e.g., Matthews 2010), and they are relatively easy to observe through simple “sediment smears,” that could be prepared and examined in most archaeobotany labs with minimal effort
Summary
Following the introduction of flotation as a tool for recovering charred plant remains from archaeological sediments in the 1960s and 1970s (Jarman et al 1972), the range of questions posed by archaeobotanists examining macro-remains across Southwest Asia has steadily broadened from studies of important economic taxa and the nature and timing of the origins of agriculture to include examinations of crop processing stages and agronomic methods used by farmers; landscape use; the identification of activity areas across sites; social organization of labor; and the dynamic relationships between subsistence strategies, environmental change, and socio-economic organization (e.g. Hillman 1975; Hillman et al 1989; Bogaard et al 1999; Jones et al 2010; Stevens 2003; Miller 2010; Graham and Smith 2013; Riehl 2009). The archaeobotanical community as a whole generally accepts that charred dung fuel is preserved archaeologically across Southwest Asia, yet researchers remain divided on: (1) the extent to which dung fuel contributes to archaeobotanical assemblages relative to remnants of repeated crop processing and household activities; and (2) the approaches that should be used to infer the presence of dung within macro-botanical assemblages. Gaining consensus on this issue is important for a variety of reasons. Before this can be done, archaeobotanists must gain consensus on how to definitively and consistently identify rather than infer dung within their samples
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