The effect of geographical margins on cereal grain size variation: Case study for highlands of Kyrgyzstan

Matuzevičiūtė, Giedrė Motuzaitė; Abdykanova, Aida; Kume, Shogo; Nishiaki, Yoshihiro; Tabaldiev, Kubatbek

doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2018.04.037

Cited by 25 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…The free-threshing wheat grains correspond to compact wheat forms noted in the Dzhungar Mountains of Semirech’ye [6,18,19]. Furthermore, archaeobotanical research in Kyrgyzstan identified compact wheat forms at the sites of Uch Kurbu, Aigyrzhal-2, and Mol Bulak located in the highland regions (Fig 1c) [15,17], which suggests that compact wheat morphotypes are adapted to high elevations. Other researchers have also noted the suitability of compact wheats for agriculturalists in marginal environments of south and east Asia, such as monsoonal areas of India and the highlands of the Tibetan plateau [14,36].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Other researchers have also noted the suitability of compact wheats for agriculturalists in marginal environments of south and east Asia, such as monsoonal areas of India and the highlands of the Tibetan plateau [14,36]. It has been argued that, compared to non-compact forms, compact varieties of wheat exhibit greater standing power against extreme weather conditions, such as strong winds and intense rains that can cause lodging and stem breakage [15]. In addition to compact forms, large variation in wheat grain size was also noted for the wheats at Chap II, ranging from 6.0 to 2.4 mm in length, 4.2 to 1.8 mm in breadth and 3.4 to 1.2 mm in depth.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is noteworthy to point out that the biometrical data for wheat grains recovered from Bronze and Iron Age sites in Kyrgyzstan substantially overlap with that of wheat grains from second millennium BCE sites in north western China [14,15]. In eastern regions of monsoonal China, however, ancient wheat grains show dramatically smaller sizes and follow a more uniform size distribution, which suggest that the eastward spread of wheat was associated with an overall convergence to diminutive grains [14].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many questions still remain, however, in understanding the status of domesticated crops in diverse societies across Eurasia during the earliest stages of multidirectional agricultural dispersals [1,11–13]. We especially have a poor understanding of what species and their morphotypes were moved and why [14,15], and whether different crop species took the same pathways across wide swaths of Asia [4]. An additional enigma is represented by the earliest broomcorn millet and bread wheat from Begash that were found exclusively in a human cremation cist without crop processing chaff [7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It has also been noted that small morphotypes of wheat were selected for cultivation as wheat moved eastward to China, since diminutive and rounder wheats may have been better suited to the culinary traditions dominated by small-grained Chinese millets [14]. On the contrary, additional research has argued that compact morphotypes of both wheat and barley recovered archaeologically in environmental margins, such as the highlands of Central Asia is strongly influenced by environmental adaptation rather than culinary preferences [15,17–19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A biodiverse package of southwest Asian grain crops facilitated high-elevation agriculture in the central Tien Shan during the mid-third millennium BCE

Matuzevičiūtė

Hermes

Mir-Makhamad

et al. 2020

Preprint

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We report the earliest and the most abundant archaeobotanical assemblage of southwest Asian grain crops from Early Bronze Age Central Asia, recovered from the Chap II site in Kyrgyzstan. The archaeobotanical remains consist of thousands of cultivated grains dating to the mid-late 3rd millennium BCE. The recovery of cereal chaff, which is rare in archaeobotanical samples from Central Asia, allows for the identification of some crops to species and indicates local cultivation at 2000 m.a.s.l., as crop first spread to the mountains of Central Asia. The site’s inhabitants cultivated two types of free-threshing wheats, glume wheats, and hulled and naked barleys. Highly compact morphotypes of wheat and barley grains represent a special variety of cereals adopted to highland environments. Moreover, glume wheats recovered at Chap II represent their most eastern distribution in Central Asia so far identified. Based on the presence of weed species, we argue that the past environment of Chap II was characterized by an open mountain landscape, where animal grazing likely took place, which may have been further modified by people irrigating agricultural fields. This research suggests that early farmers in the mountains of Central Asia cultivated a high diversity of southwest Asian crops during the initial eastward dispersal of agricultural technologies, which likely played a critical role in shaping montane adaptations and dynamic interaction networks between farming societies across highland and lowland cultivation zones.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

A biodiverse package of southwest Asian grain crops facilitated high-elevation agriculture in the central Tien Shan during the mid-third millennium BCE

Matuzevičiūtė

Hermes

Mir-Makhamad

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Specialized wool production economy of prehistoric farmstead of Chap I in the highlands of Central Tian Shan (Kyrgyzstan)

Ananyevskaya

Buckley

Chowdhury

et al. 2020

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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Agro‐pastoral economies of prehistoric populations of Central Tian Shan highlands (2,000 masl and higher) have been poorly studied to date. Currently, we lack a general understanding of mobility and seasonality patterns of livestock herding and also lack knowledge about management strategies for particular productive goals in these high mountain valleys. In this paper, we report the results of the first systematic zooarchaeological analysis from the Final Bronze Age–Early Iron Age settlement Chap I located in Central Tian Shan highlands and discuss the data in relation to zooarchaeological evidence from contemporaneous sites in Central Asia. Our research has shown that Chap I was dominated by four domesticated herbivores: cattle, horses, sheep and goats. Data from Chap I demonstrate a strong focus on the exploitation of sheep and goats for meat and secondary products. Analysis of collagen peptides (ZooMS) from sheep/goats indicated that sheep were kept in greater numbers than goats. Sheep/goat mortality profiles and material evidence point to wool as an important product of highland pastoralism in the Central Tian Shan.

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The southern Central Asian mountains as an ancient agricultural mixing zone: new archaeobotanical data from Barikot in the Swat valley of Pakistan

Spengler

Tang

Nayak

et al. 2020

Veget Hist Archaeobot

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The mountain foothills of inner Asia have served as a corridor of communication and exchange for at least five millennia, using historically documented trade routes such as the Silk Road and the Tea-Horse Road. Recent research has illustrated the important role that this mountain corridor played in the dispersal of crops and farming technology between northeast and southwest Asia 5,000 to 1,000 years ago. However, the role of the mountain valleys along the southern rim of the Pamirs and Himalaya in facilitating crop dispersals has not yet been fully explored. Notably, ongoing debates over secondary dispersals of Hordeum (barley) and Triticum (wheat) into China and the routes of dispersal for the East Asian crops Oryza sativa (rice), Prunus persica (peach) and P. armeniaca (apricot) into northern India are continuing topics of inquiry. In this article, we add to these discussions by focusing on archaeobotanical remains from the Barikot site (ca. 1200 bce–50 ce) in the Swat valley of northern Pakistan. The Swat valley is an ancient settlement zone in the Hindu Kush-Karakoram foothills, whose cultural features have always had a strong link with inner Asia. The archaeobotanical assemblage illustrates that a diverse array of crops, with origins across Asia, were cultivated around the same settlement. Additionally, these farmers likely implemented seasonal cropping cycles and irrigation that required various labour inputs and water management regimes.

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The effect of geographical margins on cereal grain size variation: Case study for highlands of Kyrgyzstan

Cited by 25 publications

References 23 publications

A biodiverse package of southwest Asian grain crops facilitated high-elevation agriculture in the central Tien Shan during the mid-third millennium BCE

A biodiverse package of southwest Asian grain crops facilitated high-elevation agriculture in the central Tien Shan during the mid-third millennium BCE

Specialized wool production economy of prehistoric farmstead of Chap I in the highlands of Central Tian Shan (Kyrgyzstan)

The southern Central Asian mountains as an ancient agricultural mixing zone: new archaeobotanical data from Barikot in the Swat valley of Pakistan

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