Millet microremains—an alternative approach to understand cultivation and use of critical crops in Prehistory

Madella, Marco; Lancelotti, Carla; García-Granero, Juan José

doi:10.1007/s12520-013-0130-y

Cited by 64 publications

(65 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…4, 6) from foxtail millet (34), and 188 from undetermined millets ( Fig. 4, 14) (35,36). Such a pattern suggests that Taxa I II III IV V VI VII VIII UNID Total Damaged Gelatinized 1 Gelatinized 2 LK globular (n = 3) 27 4 9 25 3 1 30 99 19 34 LK tripods (n = 3) 19 10 20 2 54 105 61 35 1 LK total, N 46 14 29 25 3 1 2 84 204 80 69 1 broomcorn, rather than foxtail, was likely the main type of millet being processed in the LK vessels.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 98%

The origins of specialized pottery and diverse alcohol fermentation techniques in Early Neolithic China

Liu

Wang

Levin

et al. 2019

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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In China, pottery containers first appeared about 20000 cal. BP, and became diverse in form during the Early Neolithic (9000–7000 cal. BP), signaling the emergence of functionally specialized vessels. China is also well-known for its early development of alcohol production. However, few studies have focused on the connections between the two technologies. Based on the analysis of residues (starch, phytolith, and fungus) adhering to pottery from two Early Neolithic sites in north China, here we demonstrate that three material changes occurring in the Early Neolithic signal innovation of specialized alcoholic making known in north China: (i) the spread of cereal domestication (millet and rice), (ii) the emergence of dedicated pottery types, particularly globular jars as liquid storage vessels, and (iii) the development of cereal-based alcohol production with at least two fermentation methods: the use of cereal malts and the use of moldy grain and herbs (quandcaoqu) as starters. The latter method was arguably a unique invention initiated in China, and our findings account for the earliest known examples of this technique. The major ingredients include broomcorn millet, Triticeae grasses, Job’s tears, rice, beans, snake gourd root, ginger, possible yam and lily, and other plants, some probably with medicinal properties (e.g., ginger). Alcoholic beverages made with these methods were namedli,jiu, andchangin ancient texts, first recorded in the Shang oracle-bone inscriptions (ca. 3200 cal. BP); our findings have revealed a much deeper history of these diverse fermentation technologies in China.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 98%

The origins of specialized pottery and diverse alcohol fermentation techniques in Early Neolithic China

Liu

Wang

Levin

et al. 2019

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…Thereafter, scanning electron microscopy was introduced to study inflorescence phytoliths (Terrell and Wergin, 1981;Sangster et al, 1983;Rosen and Weiner, 1994). With the introduction of phytolith analysis among archaeologists, Poaceae inflorescence phytoliths were valued due to their relationship with human food gathering activities, and the inflorescence phytoliths of both major (Hodson and Sangster, 1988;Piperno and Pearsall, 1993;Tubb et al, 1993;Pearsall et al, 1995;Zhao et al, 1998;Ball et al, 1999;Rosen, 1999;Ball et al, 2001;Pearsall et al, 2003;Rosen, 2004;Hodson et al, 2008;Madella et al, 2014;Ball et al, 2017) and minor (Lu et al, 2009b;Radomski and Neumann, 2011;Zhang et al, 2011;Madella et al, 2013;Kealhofer et al, 2015;Novello and Barboni, 2015;Weisskopf and Lee, 2016;Ge et al, 2018;Zhang et al, 2018;Duncan et al, 2019) crops were extensively studied to investigate crop domestication. Nevertheless, many other wild relatives and minor crops have not been studied, which not only results in identification uncertainty, but also has stalled further application of phytolith analysis in the investigation of early plant resource exploitation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phytoliths in Inflorescence Bracts: Preliminary Results of an Investigation on Common Panicoideae Plants in China

Lü

Zhang

et al. 2020

Front. Plant Sci.

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Phytoliths in the inflorescence of Poaceae plants can be of high taxonomic value in some archaeological contexts and provide insight into plant taxonomy and crop domestication processes. In this study, phytoliths in every inflorescence bract of 38 common Panicoideae weeds and minor crops in China were studied. Based on dissection of the inflorescence into different bracts using a treatment that retained the phytoliths anatomical position, observations of inflorescence phytoliths types and distribution were described in detail. We found that INTERDIGITATING, Blocky amoeboid, Rectangular dentate, and Elongate dendritic with multi tent-like arch tops were of higher taxonomic value than the other types in our studied species. Both morphological and morphometric traits of the INTERDIGITATING were summarized and compared with previous studies; the findings suggested that genus level discrimination of some Paniceae species could be reliable, and tribe/species level discrimination might be feasible. The phytoliths in the involucre of domesticated and wild type Coix lacryma-jobi provided insight into the domestication process of this plant. Our data also indicated that phytolith production in the inflorescence bracts might be under the genetic and molecular control of inflorescence development. Thus, the findings of this study could assist future studies in plant taxonomy and archaeobotany.

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“…At archaeological sites, there is a particular interest in using grass phytoliths preserved in deposits to document past human activities integrating Poaceae species as primary resources (Albert, et al, 2008, Cabanes, et al, 2010, Harvey and Fuller, 2005, Iriarte, et al, 2010, Madella, et al, 2013, Mercader, 2009, Portillo, et al, 2010. For instance, grass phytoliths are largely searched for to study the first stages of cereal domestication (Lu, et al, 2009, Pearsall, et al, 2003, Ranere, et al, 2009, Zhao and Piperno, 2000, early associated farming practices (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Grass inflorescence phytoliths of useful species and wild cereals from sub-Saharan Africa

Novello

Barboni

2015

Journal of Archaeological Science

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Dendritic phytoliths that precipitate in grass inflorescences are often used in archaeology to trace the use of cereals (i.e. grasses harvested for their edible grain) and their domestication by early human societies. High amounts of these morphotypes are sometimes interpreted in terms of cereal accumulation in archaeological contexts. In sub-Saharan Africa, few cereals were domesticated during the mid-Holocene, but many wild grasses are still largely harvested by modern societies for food. The harvesting of wild cereals is also considered as one of the first stages toward early grass domestication. To evaluate how well dendritic phytoliths and/or other phytoliths produced in the grass inflorescences could help trace the use of wild cereal grains in sub-Saharan Africa, we analyzed the phytolith content of 67 African species (including 20 wild cereals), and 56 modern soils. We used test-value analysis and ANOVA to evaluate how well grass inflorescences could be distinguished from leaf/culm parts based on their phytolith content. We also measured the abundances of these phytoliths in natural soils from sub-Saharan Africa to provide a benchmark percentage abundance above which anthropogenic accumulation may be suspected in archaeological deposits. Our results confirm that, although rondel type phytoliths are abundant, only the dendritic phytolith morphotype is exclusive to the grass inflorescences. Yet, dendritic phytoliths do not occur in all species. They happen to be most frequent and found in greatest abundance (>34% relative to total phytolith count) in Panicoideae grasses (Sehima ischaemoides, Sorghastrum stipoides, and Sorghum purpureo-sericeum), and in one Eragrostideae species (Eragrostis squamata), which are not considered cereals. Inflorescences of the wild African cereals studied here do not happen to be particularly rich in dendritics (<7% in average). Finally, dendritics are rare in modern natural soils (<1% relative to total phytolith count, <3% relative to sum of grass silica short cells plus dendritics), even under stands of rich dendritic producers. We conclude that dendritic phytoliths may be used for tracing remarkable deposits of grass inflorescences at archaeological sites in sub-Saharan Africa, but are not exclusive to domesticated or wild cereals. Abundances of dendritics >> 3% relative to sum of grass silica short cell phytoliths plus dendritics are likely to indicate anthropogenic accumulation of grass inflorescences. Yet, the absence or low abundance of dendritic phytoliths in archaeological deposits may not always indicate the absence of anthropogenic accumulation of grass inflorescence material.

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Millet microremains—an alternative approach to understand cultivation and use of critical crops in Prehistory

Cited by 64 publications

References 66 publications

The origins of specialized pottery and diverse alcohol fermentation techniques in Early Neolithic China

The origins of specialized pottery and diverse alcohol fermentation techniques in Early Neolithic China

Phytoliths in Inflorescence Bracts: Preliminary Results of an Investigation on Common Panicoideae Plants in China

Grass inflorescence phytoliths of useful species and wild cereals from sub-Saharan Africa

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