Pests in an ancient Egyptian harbor

Borojević, Ksenija; Steiner, Warren E.; Gerisch, Rainer; Zazzaro, Chiara; Ward, Cheryl

doi:10.1016/j.jas.2010.04.013

Cited by 11 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…However, rodent consumption and control are not mutually exclusive and it is plausible that captured pest animals were being eaten, a frequent practice today [3]. Surprisingly, previous studies of early pest control have concentrated on invertebrates [50,51], despite the serious impact of rodents on stored food and on human health.…”

Section: Agent and Nature Of Skeletal Depositionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rodents: food or pests in Neolithic Orkney

Romaniuk

Shepherd²,

Clarke

et al. 2016

R. Soc. open sci.

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Rodents have important effects on contemporary human societies, sometimes providing a source of food but more often as agricultural pests, or as vectors and reservoirs of disease. Skeletal remains of rodents are commonly found in archaeological assemblages from around the world, highlighting their potential importance to ancient human populations. However, there are few studies of the interactions between people and rodents at such sites and most of these are confined to locations where rodents have formed a part of the recent diet. Here we compare the accumulation pattern of rodent remains from four locations within and adjacent to the renowned Neolithic site of Skara Brae, Orkney, showing that those within the settlement itself were the result of deliberate human activity. The accumulation and nature of burnt bones, incorporated over an extended period within deposits of household waste, indicate that rodents were used as a nutritional resource and may have been the subject of early pest control. We, therefore, provide the first evidence for the exploitation or control of rodents by the Neolithic inhabitants of Europe.

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Section: Agent and Nature Of Skeletal Depositionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rodents: food or pests in Neolithic Orkney

Romaniuk

Shepherd²,

Clarke

et al. 2016

R. Soc. open sci.

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“…Macrobotanical remains, including artefacts made from fibrous plants, were collected at the site, inside and outside the caves, during the 2008–11 winter field seasons and analysed on site (Borojevic 2007, 2010). The results for the identified plants and associated pests from one of the galleries, Cave 3, were recently published (Borojevic et al . 2010).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microscopic Identification and Sourcing of Ancient Egyptian Plant Fibres Using Longitudinal Thin Sectioning*

Borojević

Mountain

2012

Archaeometry

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Plant fibres and the artefacts constructed from them often remain overlooked in the archaeological record because of their poor survival and the problems related to the precise identification of the species to which the fibres belong. The goal of this study was to design a simple and accurate method of identifying archaeological plant fibre sources. Twenty‐two fibre samples from two sets of ancient Egyptian botanical artefacts were examined under both a stereomicroscope and a compound microscope, and compared to a large reference collection and to previously published research. By examining longitudinal thin sections of the ancient plant specimens, we identified plant fibres from the following species: Hyphaene thebeica, Cyperus papyrus, Desmostachya bipinnata, Imperata cylindrica, Phragmites australis and Linum usitatissimum. Our identification of these plant fibres reveals essential information about the materials used for producing ropes, baskets, sandals, mats and fabric. The results of this study demonstrate the value of longitudinal thin sectioning and light microscopy as a major means of identifying the source material of botanical artefacts, and advance our knowledge of ancient Egyptian plant exploitation as well as the associated technologies involved in constructing these types of artefacts.

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“…Remains of T. mauritanicus are found in Neolithic contexts in Germany (Schmidt, 1998(Schmidt, , 2013Panagiotakopulu and Buckland, 2018). In Egypt it was identified in a cave by the Red Sea storing plant products arriving at the Port of Mersa/Wadi Gawasis (Borojevic et al, 2010). It is also in England among the remains of a Bronze Age shipwreck (Buckland, 1981).…”

Section: Archaeoentomological Remainsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Archaeoentomological indicators of long-term food plant storage at the Prehispanic granary of La Fortaleza (Gran Canaria, Spain)

Henríquez-Valido

Morales

Vidal-Matutano

et al. 2020

Journal of Archaeological Science

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Storage is crucial to the sequence of food management. It is nonetheless at times difficult to recognize in the archaeological record due to problems of preservation of ancient food remains. Archaeoentomology in this sense can be of great value as it sheds light on past storage techniques. This study presents the findings of the archaeoentomological analyses carried out at the ancient granary of La Fortaleza (Gran Canaria, Spain, ca. 600-1450 AD), a site where the favorable conditions of preservation allow recording the food plants and insect pests associated with storage. Moreover, the recovery of several taxa of primary and secondary pests connected to different stages of store infestation (i.e. Sitophilus granarius (L.), Oryzaephilus surinamensis (L.), Tenebrioides mauritanicus (L.), Mezium americanum (Laporte de Castelnau), Stegobium paniceum (L.) and Cryptolestes sp.) offers data as to the storage conditions and time intervals of the Prehispanic Canarian indigenous population. Finally, new radiocarbon-datings of the pests yield data casting light on the origin and spread of several cosmopolitan taxa such as M. americanum and on past relations between Africa, Europe and the New World.

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Pests in an ancient Egyptian harbor

Cited by 11 publications

References 17 publications

Rodents: food or pests in Neolithic Orkney

Rodents: food or pests in Neolithic Orkney

Microscopic Identification and Sourcing of Ancient Egyptian Plant Fibres Using Longitudinal Thin Sectioning*

Archaeoentomological indicators of long-term food plant storage at the Prehispanic granary of La Fortaleza (Gran Canaria, Spain)

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