The archaeobotanical significance of immature millet grains: an experimental case study of Chinese millet crop processing

Song, Jinfeng; Zhao, Zhijun; Fuller, Dorian Q.

doi:10.1007/s00334-012-0366-y

Cited by 37 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Numerous works on identification methods of panicoid grasses were made in Japan and India. Just now it became possible to study properly the remains of panicoid grasses found in 1970s in China (most massive than elsewhere) both in settlements and burial sites (Lu et al, 2009a, b;Yang et al, 2012;Song et al, 2013;Yang, Perry, 2013;Weisskopf, Lee, 2014). A large project on the study of panicoid grasses was fulfilled by a scientific team based on the data of archaeological excavations of settlements in Ukraine (The East-West Millet Project) (Hunt et al, 2011;Motuzaite-Matuzeviciute et al, 2012.…”

Section: Characteristics Of Flowers and Caryopses In Panicoids And Sementioning

confidence: 99%

“…For the purposes of paleobotany and archaeology, D. Fuller (2006) developed the key for identification of panicoid grasses based on caryopses, K. Fukunaga et al (1997) studied differences in caryopses shapes in various Setaria species from different habitats. Presently, new methods of morphological diagnostics of both various kin species and genera, and specific features of caryopses within species at different ontogenetic stages are developed (Motuzaite-Matuzeviciute et al, 2012; Song et al, 2013). All these works are useful though fragmentary.…”

Section: Characteristics Of Flowers and Caryopses In Panicoids And Sementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ethnobotanical reconstructions of growing and usage together with the study of morphological variations of caryopses (Song et al, 2013;MorenoLarrazabal et al, 2015).…”

Section: Characteristics Of Flowers and Caryopses In Panicoids And Sementioning

confidence: 99%

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Panicoids in Xiongnu burial ground (Mongolia, First Century AD): problems of identification

2018

turczaninowia

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Summary. The paper summarizes the data on plant remains from burial mounds of the Noin-Ula burial ground in Northern Mongolia (dated from the end of the 1st century BC to the beginning of the 1st century AD). Plant remains that were found in several mounds (20, 22, and 31) belonged to different plant species. Some of them, the remains of Pinus sylvestris L. and Betula sp., got into a mound (31) accidentally during burial ceremony. They are typical for that area. Another part of plants, found in all three mounds, was placed there intentionally, most likely, for ritual purposes. They are loose grains inside the casket (mound 31) and on the floor of a burial chamber (mounds 20, 22) at 17-meter depth. The problems of identification of panicoid remains from burial grounds are discussed in detail. For diagnostics of panicoid graminoids in this case study only caryopsis macroparameters were possible to use. The knowledge on morphology of ultrasculpture of caryopses surface is fragmentary and weakly studied even for the modern material which could be used as a standard for identification of archaeological material. The written sources of the time close to the burial age, if existed, should be used very carefully. Plant remains from all three mounds were identified up to a species level. They all belong to Panicum miliaceum L. The Xiongnu culture featured a special attitude to millet as reflected in burial rituals of the Xiongnu nobles among other numerous traditions of Han civilization. Аннотация. Обобщены данные о растительных находках в погребальном комплексе кочевников могиль-ника «Ноин-Ула» на территории Северной Монголии (датируемый концом I века до н. э. -началом I века н. э.). Растительные остатки, обнаруженные в нескольких курганах ноин-уланском захоронении (курганы 20, 22, 31), принадлежали разным видам растений. Некоторые попали в погребения случайно -это фрагменты Pinus sylvestris L., Betula sp. Эти растения являются обычными для данной местности. Другая же часть растений, найденная во всех трех курганах, вероятно, была использована преднамеренно в погребальном обряде -это россыпи зерна внутри гроба (курган 31) и на полу погребальной камеры (курганы 20, 22) на глубине около 17 метров. В статье подробно обсуждаются проблемы идентификации остатков паникоидных злаков в за-146 Korolyuk E. A. Panicoids in Xiongnu burial ground (Mongolia, First Century AD) хоронениях. Для диагностики паникоидных злаков в захоронениях в данном конкретном случае, возможно было использовать только макропризнаки зерновок. Знания об особенностях морфологии ультраскульптуры поверхности зерновок слишком фрагментарны и недостаточно исследованы даже для современного матери-ала, который мог бы быть использован в качестве стандартов для определения археологического материала. Письменные источники близкого времени датировки погребений, если они существуют, должны быть ис-пользованы с большой осторожностью. Видовая принадлежность остатков зерна во всех трех курганах уста-новлена -они относятся к виду Panicum miliaceum L. Особое отношение к ...

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Section: Characteristics Of Flowers and Caryopses In Panicoids And Sementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Characteristics Of Flowers and Caryopses In Panicoids And Sementioning

confidence: 99%

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Panicoids in Xiongnu burial ground (Mongolia, First Century AD): problems of identification

2018

turczaninowia

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“…Immature grains, mature grains, clean grains, and grains with husk fragments were counted separately, following the suggestions of Fuller and Zhang (2007), and evidence of modern experimental crop processing (Song et al 2013). In the early stages of crop processing, the proportion of immature grains and grains with husk fragments could be higher than that of mature grains and clean grains.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Such patterns are reported from Europe and the Near East where each sample is dominated by cereal and cereal-related weeds, which can be related to routine crop-processing activities, and the weeds related to field conditions (see also, M. Jones 1985;Stevens 2003;Van der Veen 1992. While many crop-processing studies have focused on wheat and barley, here we focus on millet processing, which has been summarized from various ethnoarchaeological studies by Harvey and Fuller (2005) and explored experimentally in Song et al (2013).…”

Section: Exploration Of Crop-processing Activitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A regional case in the development of agriculture and crop processing in northern China from the Neolithic to Bronze Age: archaeobotanical evidence from the Sushui River survey, Shanxi province

Song

Wang

Fuller

2017

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

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The article presents the results of the analysis of survey archaeobotany samples from the Sushui valley. This provides evidence for changes over time for a region in the proportions of crops, especially rice versus millets. In addition, the composition of samples, both grouped by period and considered on a sample-by-sample basis, are considered as representing routine crop-processing waste, from which it is suggested that typical patterns of routine crop processing (after storage) can be inferred. These patterns, in turn, imply something about processing prior to storage and the social organization of agricultural production, suggesting the hypothesis that crop-processing patterns diversified during the emergence of complex societies with some sites with larger scale practices while others were focused on the household level.

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Gendered division of labor in a Celtic community? A comparison of sex differences in entheseal changes and long bone shape and robusticity in thepre‐Romanpopulation of Verona (Italy, third–first centuryBC)

Laffranchi

Charisi

Brobeil

et al. 2020

American J Phys Anthropol

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Objectives: The presence of a gendered subdivision of labor has been bioarchaeologically investigated in various prehistoric and historical contexts. Little is known, however, about the type of differences in daily activities characterizing men and women among the Celtic communities of Italy. The focus of the present study is the analysis of differences in patterns of entheseal changes (ECs) and long bone shape and robusticity between sexes among the Cenomani Gauls of Seminario Vescovile (SV-Verona, Italy, third-first century BC). Materials and Methods: The sample includes 56 adult individuals (22 females and 34 males). Presence of ECs on nine bilateral postcranial attachment sites, and values of humeral and femoral shape and robusticity indices based on external measurements were compared between sexes by means of generalized linear models and Mann-Whitney tests. Results: Results show a lack of difference between sexes in long bone shape and robusticity, and a higher incidence of upper and, especially, lower limb ECs in males. Discussion: These results suggest the presence of sex-specific activities at SV mostly related to farming and differently influencing the considered variables. Also, this study suggests the relevance of a series of nonbiomechanical factors (developmental, hormonal, genetic, and methodological) when attempting biocultural reconstructions from osteoarchaeological samples. K E Y W O R D S celts, entheses, Iron Age, long bone indices, physical activity 1 | INTRODUCTION 1.1 | Theoretical and archaeological background A large number of bioarchaeological studies have investigated the differences in daily physical activities between sexes and gendered division of labor among past human societies (e.g., al-Oumaoui,

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The archaeobotanical significance of immature millet grains: an experimental case study of Chinese millet crop processing

Cited by 37 publications

References 21 publications

Panicoids in Xiongnu burial ground (Mongolia, First Century AD): problems of identification

Panicoids in Xiongnu burial ground (Mongolia, First Century AD): problems of identification

A regional case in the development of agriculture and crop processing in northern China from the Neolithic to Bronze Age: archaeobotanical evidence from the Sushui River survey, Shanxi province

Gendered division of labor in a Celtic community? A comparison of sex differences in entheseal changes and long bone shape and robusticity in thepre‐Romanpopulation of Verona (Italy, third–first centuryBC)

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