In this paper, we present the results of the plant macrofossil analyses from the site of Tel Lachish, Israel with focus on the botanical assemblage of the Middle and Late Bronze Age layers collected in two different areas of the tell: Area S, a trench on the western edge of the site, whose samples belong to Late Bronze Age deposits, and Area P, the palace area on the top of the mound with samples ranging from the Middle to Late Bronze Age. Systematic sampling of these areas and analysis of the remains have extended our knowledge of the agricultural resources of one of the most influential Late Bronze Age cities in the southern Levant. Multivariate statistics have been applied to gain insight into regional patterns of crop growing. Fruit crops account for the majority of the identified remains from this site, which also included large quantities of Hordeum vulgare (barley) and Triticum dicoccum (emmer wheat) grains. The virtual lack of chaff remains is not solely a matter of preservation, since the Late Bronze Age assemblage preserved fragile small seeds. Rather, this finding suggests that cereal processing took place some distance from the area of deposition. Overall high diversity, ubiquity and proportions of fruit crops indicate that these played a fundamental role in their cultivation and probably also in cultural life at Lachish throughout the 15th–12th centuries bce.

Recent excavations at the site of Tel Kabri have brought some extraordinary findings, including the earliest wine cellar in the ancient Near East discovered in 2013. During these excavations, archaeobotanical samples were collected continuously and then processed in 2019. The archaeobotanical studies focus on the Middle Bronze Age palace in Area DW and the Early Bronze Age domestic deposits in Area L. The results confirm the different nature of the two contexts. Legumes form a large portion of the crop remains in the Early Bronze Age Area L: Lathyrus sativus (grass pea), Vicia faba var. minor (faba bean), and Lens culinaris (lentil), all showing no drought stress and similar growing conditions in terms of moisture availability, as indicated by stable carbon isotope measurements. For Area L, several wild seeds have been identified to represent weeds of cereal crops, whereas Area DW is strongly affected by small wild seeds that entered the sediments as modern contaminants. Fruit crops are present in both assemblages with Olea europaea (olive), representing the most ubiquitous taxon, and Vitis vinifera (grape), with most of its pips found mineralized. The identified remains also include cereal crops, primarily Triticum dicoccum (emmer), which appears cultivated under exceptionally dry conditions. The stable nitrogen values for emmer also raised some questions regarding the growing location and cultivation strategy. Correspondence analysis has been applied, comparing the archaeobotanical assemblages of Tel Kabri within the wider geographical and chronological Levantine context and determining their placement in sub-regional patterns.