Reconstructing late Neolithic plant economies at the Eastern Adriatic site of Velištak (5th millennium cal BC)

Documenta Praehistorica XLIII (2016) Reconstructing late Neolithic plant economies at the Eastern Adriatic site of Veli[tak (5th millennium cal BC) Kelly Reed 1, Emil Podrug 2 1 School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, UK 2 {ibenik City Museum, {ibenik, HR ABSTRACT – The archaeobotanical remains from Veli∏tak are the first evidence of plant economies from an open-air settlement dating to the late Neolithic Hvar culture in Croatia (c. 4900–4000 cal BC). The results presented here are from the 2007–2013 field seasons. Based on an examination of carbonised macro-remains, it is suggested that emmer, einkorn, and barley were the main crops at Veli∏tak, along with lentils, bitter vetch, and possibly peas and flax. Wild plants were also exploited, with evidence of wild fruits, such as cornelian cherry. Similarities with archaeobotanical finds from the early/middle Neolithic (c. 6000–4900 cal BC) also suggest that plant economies remained relatively unchanged during the Neolithic. IZVLE∞EK – Arheobotani≠ni ostanki z najdi∏≠a Veli∏tak predstavljajo prve dokaze o rastlinski ekonomiji iz naselbine na prostem, ki datira v pozni neolitik hvarske kulture na Hrva∏kem (ok. 4900– 4000 cal BC). Predstavljeni rezultati so iz podatkov, pridobljenih med izkopavanji med letoma 2007 in 2013. Na podlagi preiskave karboniziranih makroostankov ugotavljamo, da so dvozrnica, enozrnica in je≠men predstavljali glavna ∫ita na Veli∏taku, navzo≠i pa so tudi ostanki le≠e, le≠nata gra∏ica ter morda grah in lan. Nabirali so tudi divje rastline, saj so ohranjeni ostanki divjega sadja kot je rumeni dren. Podobnosti z arheobotani≠nimi ostanki iz ≠asa zgodnjega in srednjega neolitika (ok. 6000–4900 cal BC) ka∫ejo, da je rastlinska ekonomija na tem obmo≠ju ostala relativno nespremenjena v celotnem obdobju neolitika. KEY WORDS – charred macro-remains; cereal cultivation; archaeobotany; Croatia Introduction Archaeological research into the plant economies of the late Neolithic Hvar culture in the Eastern Adriatic is rare. So the discovery of the late Neolithic settlement of Veli∏tak (formerly known as ∞ista Mala – Veli∏tak) in 2007 presented a unique opportunity to examine the development of farming in the Eastern Adriatic, as well as providing the first archaeobotanical results from an open-air Hvar culture village in Croatia (Fig. 1). Hitherto, only two cave sites, Grap≠eva (Borojevi≤ et al. 2008) and Turska Pe≤ (Reed 2015) in Croatia, and a few grain impressions from daub collected at Lisi≠i≤i, Herzegovina (Benac 1958.84; Hopf 1958), had provided archaeobotanical evidence of the plant economies of the Hvar culture. However, the social role of caves and the range of activities conducted in them are probably very DOI> 10.4312\dp.43.19 different from those of open-air settlements (e.g., Bonsall, Tolan Smith 1997; Sampson 2008; Trantalidou et al. 2010). Therefore, this paper presents the archaeobotanical results from the 2007–2013 field seasons at Veli∏tak in order to explore plant exploitation at the settlement more fully, which is important for understanding the development of farming communities in the Eastern Adriatic. The Eastern Adriatic during the Late Neolithic The division of the Neolithic is based on three major pottery stylistic traditions or cultures; Early (Impresso culture, c. 6000–5400 cal BC), Middle (Danilo culture, c. 5400–4900 cal BC) and Late Neolithic (Hvar culture, c. 4900–4000 cal BC). Hvar-style pot399 Kelly Reed, Emil Podrug tery is decorated with a rich variety of incised and painted designs and is best known from Grap≠eva Cave on the island of Hvar (Novak 1955; Forenbaher, Kaiser 2008; Forenbaher et al. 2010). Traces of paint, which would have been applied after firing, indicate that several pigments were used, including red ochre and cinnabar (Forenbaher et al. 2010). So far some 30 Hvar culture sites have been identified, showing that this cultural tradition extended throughout Dalmatia (Croatia) and the hinterlands (Hercegovina). Most of these sites are caves, probably because they are easier to locate than flat open-air settlements. Research on the Neolithic in the Eastern Adriatic has largely focused around these stylistic and technological changes (e.g., Chapman 1988; Spataro 2002; McClure et al. 2014), while in comparison very little is known about possible underlying socio-economic and cultural shifts. Brijuni (Gnirs 1925.24–25). Although limited, these finds suggest that the plant economies did not change drastically in the Eastern Adriatic from the early to the middle Neolithic. For the late Neolithic (c. 4900–4000 cal BC), plant remains are equally rare, having only been identified from two cave sites in coastal Croatia: Grap≠eva (Borojevi≤ et al. 2008) and Turska Pe≤ (Reed 2015). At Grap≠eva, the evidence consists of a few grains of emmer, einkorn, naked wheat (Triticum cf. aestivum), and lentil (Lens culinaris), as well as shell fragments of almond (Amygdalus communis), acorns (Quercus sp.), and juniper (Juniperus sp.). The naked wheat grain from Grap≠eva was also securely radiocarbon dated to 4838–4712 cal BC, confirming its presence during the late Neolithic (Borojevi≤ et al. 2008). From Turska Pe≤, emmer, einkorn, barley, naked wheat (Triticum turgidum ssp. durum/Triticum aestivum ssp. aestivum), possible spelt (Triticum cf. aestivum ssp. spelta), and broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum) were identified (Reed 2015). In addition, a large number of weed species were also recovered and are thought to have been associated with episodes of dung burning, possibly to clear the cave of excess waste during seasonal habitation of the cave by herders and livestock (ibid.). Evidence of farming in Neolithic Dalmatia The first domestic crops and animals, originating from south-west Asia, spread by sea along the coast, reaching Dalmatia at c. 6000 cal BC (Chapman, Müller 1990; Bogucki 1996; Forenbaher, Miracle 2005; Davison et al. 2006; Forenbaher et al. 2013). Evidence of early farming is limited in Dalmatia, but once established, it would have been an intrinsic part of everyday life during the Neolithic. The earliest indications we have of early Neolithic (c. 6000–5400 cal BC) plant economies in coastal Croatia come from Crno vrilo (πo∏tari≤ 2009), Kargadur (Kom∏o 2005.212– 14), Kr≤ina cave (Müller 1994.64), Pokrovnik (Legge, Moore 2011), and Tinj-Podlivade (Huntley 1996). Einkorn (Triticum monococcum ssp. monococcum), emmer (Triticum turgidum ssp. dicoccum), and barley (Hordeum vulgare ssp. vulgare) were the most common cereals identified, along with flax (Linum usitatissimum), grass pea (Lathyrus sativus), and a range of wild fruits and weed type species. Similar archaeobotanical evidence has also been recorded for the middle Neolithic (c. 5400–4900 cal BC) sites of Danilo-Bitinj (Hopf 1964; Reed 2006; Legge, Moore 2011), Pokrovnik Fig. 1. Late Neolithic sites mentioned in the text: 1 Veli∏tak, 2 Tur(Karg, Müller 1990), and Groma≠e – ska Pe≤, 3 Grap≠eva, 4 Lisi≠i≤ (...truncated)