Archaeology of plants: current research in archaeobotany.

Special issue of papers presented at the twelfth International Workgroup for Palaeoethnobotany (IWGP) in Sheffield on 17--24 June 2001, covering four themes: consumption (food, fodder and cuisine); collecting and cultivation; historical archaeobotany; and analytical archaeobotany. Contributions include

to test certain hypotheses concerning archaeobotanical data from Late Neolithic lake-shore dwellings (4300-3500 cal B.C.) in the northern Pre-alpine lowlands, the authors have conducted tests since 1994 in a slightly south-exposed experimental area of approximately 4.5 ha on a loess soil covered by mixed deciduous forest. A procedure of clearing, burning the dry small timber and then growing winter cereals (bread wheat) for one season provided yields of between 2000 and 4000 kg grains per ha. The harvest was more or less free from weeds. First attempts with summer crops gave much lower yields of about 1100 kg grains per ha. Continuous cereal growing on the same place in the following years resulted in minimal to zero yields, mainly due to vigorous weed growth of forest perennials native of clearings and forest fringes. Ploughing to remove the weeds was not possible, because of the presence of roots and tree-stumps, most of them still living. Weed regulation by hoeing, burning or cattle grazing remains to be tested. Protection of the crop from game and birds was by fences and nets, but protection from mice seems difficult. In the spectra from the pollen traps, clearing and burning were strongly indicated, but cereal growing only slightly