Archaeobotanical Study of Tell Khamîs (Syria)
Tell Khamîs, an archaeological site of the Syrian region of Upper Jazeera, is 3 km east of the Euphrates and 31 km from Yarâblûs (ancient Karkemiš); archaeological excavations determined seven different levels (Early Bronze, Middle Bronze, Aramaic, Assyrian, Persian, Hellenistic, and Islamic). This...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-07-01
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| Series: | Heritage |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2571-9408/5/3/88 |
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| author | Javier Valera Gonzalo Matilla-Seiquer Concepción Obón Diego Rivera |
| author_facet | Javier Valera Gonzalo Matilla-Seiquer Concepción Obón Diego Rivera |
| author_sort | Javier Valera |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Tell Khamîs, an archaeological site of the Syrian region of Upper Jazeera, is 3 km east of the Euphrates and 31 km from Yarâblûs (ancient Karkemiš); archaeological excavations determined seven different levels (Early Bronze, Middle Bronze, Aramaic, Assyrian, Persian, Hellenistic, and Islamic). This study aims to identify plant remains recovered during the excavation of the site and to place them within the chronology of Tell Khamîs and in the context of the archaeobotanical evidence for the Upper Euphrates. A total of 88 sediment samples were collected, and seeds, recovered via flotation, were identified using optical and SEM microscopy. A total of 20,606 whole remains and 37,646 fragments belonging to 92 taxa and 35 plant families were identified. Seed lists were compared with those from other sites, and the results were analyzed using multivariate techniques. Barley is particularly noteworthy for the number of remains; this species was found in 49 different samples, notably, in a silo of about 4 m<sup>3</sup> in volume. Middle Bronze Age and Assyrian levels are the richest in remains; the site presents a maximum of documented activity in the Middle Bronze Age period, and the most interesting taxa from a paleoenvironmental and cultural point of view are represented by one or a few seeds. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T23:52:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ef8f3e1abafc4848b335318babf39ab1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2571-9408 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T23:52:08Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Heritage |
| spelling | doaj.art-ef8f3e1abafc4848b335318babf39ab12023-11-23T16:32:06ZengMDPI AGHeritage2571-94082022-07-01531687171810.3390/heritage5030088Archaeobotanical Study of Tell Khamîs (Syria)Javier Valera0Gonzalo Matilla-Seiquer1Concepción Obón2Diego Rivera3Departamento de Prehistoria, Arqueología, Historia Antigua, Historia Medieval y Ciencias y Tecn. Historiográficas, Facultad de Letras, Campus de la Merced, Universidad de Murcia, C/Santo Cristo, 1, 30001 Murcia, SpainDepartamento de Prehistoria, Arqueología, Historia Antigua, Historia Medieval y Ciencias y Tecn. Historiográficas, Facultad de Letras, Campus de la Merced, Universidad de Murcia, C/Santo Cristo, 1, 30001 Murcia, SpainDepartamento de Biología Aplicada, EPSO, Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche, Carretera de Beniel km 3.2, 03312 Orihuela, SpainDepartamento de Biología Vegetal, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Murcia, 30100 Murcia, SpainTell Khamîs, an archaeological site of the Syrian region of Upper Jazeera, is 3 km east of the Euphrates and 31 km from Yarâblûs (ancient Karkemiš); archaeological excavations determined seven different levels (Early Bronze, Middle Bronze, Aramaic, Assyrian, Persian, Hellenistic, and Islamic). This study aims to identify plant remains recovered during the excavation of the site and to place them within the chronology of Tell Khamîs and in the context of the archaeobotanical evidence for the Upper Euphrates. A total of 88 sediment samples were collected, and seeds, recovered via flotation, were identified using optical and SEM microscopy. A total of 20,606 whole remains and 37,646 fragments belonging to 92 taxa and 35 plant families were identified. Seed lists were compared with those from other sites, and the results were analyzed using multivariate techniques. Barley is particularly noteworthy for the number of remains; this species was found in 49 different samples, notably, in a silo of about 4 m<sup>3</sup> in volume. Middle Bronze Age and Assyrian levels are the richest in remains; the site presents a maximum of documented activity in the Middle Bronze Age period, and the most interesting taxa from a paleoenvironmental and cultural point of view are represented by one or a few seeds.https://www.mdpi.com/2571-9408/5/3/88paleobotanyarchaeologyagricultureNear Eastcropspaleoethnobotany |
| spellingShingle | Javier Valera Gonzalo Matilla-Seiquer Concepción Obón Diego Rivera Archaeobotanical Study of Tell Khamîs (Syria) Heritage paleobotany archaeology agriculture Near East crops paleoethnobotany |
| title | Archaeobotanical Study of Tell Khamîs (Syria) |
| title_full | Archaeobotanical Study of Tell Khamîs (Syria) |
| title_fullStr | Archaeobotanical Study of Tell Khamîs (Syria) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Archaeobotanical Study of Tell Khamîs (Syria) |
| title_short | Archaeobotanical Study of Tell Khamîs (Syria) |
| title_sort | archaeobotanical study of tell khamis syria |
| topic | paleobotany archaeology agriculture Near East crops paleoethnobotany |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2571-9408/5/3/88 |
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