Prehistoric and Early Historic Food Plants in the Netherlands

Abstract

(pp. 167 & 170)

This paper presents a study of charred seed finds from the Netherlands, covering a period from about 2350 B.C. to 900 A.D. Remains of crop plants recovered from coastal settlement sites (ca. 500 B.C.-1000 A.D.) are also included in this study. The samples or part of them were analysed quantitatively.

Brief comment is added on the morphology of carbonized barley and wheat. Among other things, the distinguishing features of lax-eared and dense-eared Hordeum vulgare are discussed. Attention is drawn to emmer grains from one-seeded spikelets and to the difficulties in separating satisfactorily club wheat-type and bread wheat-type seeds.

The results of this study are summarized in Table 63 (opposite to p. 152). Triticum dicoccum, which played an important part in prehistoric times, was largely or completely replaced by Secale cereale and Triticum aestivum s.l. in the Early Middle Ages. Neolithic Vlaardingen yielded Triticum aestivum s.l., but otherwise this wheat species was not found in prehistoric settlements. On the other hand, bread wheat/club wheat is common in Roman sites. Triticum monococcum was not met with in this study, but has been reported for the Bandkeramik and TRB Cultures in the Netherlands. The presence of Triticum spelta could be established in samples from Roman sites.

In the north of the Netherlands, naked Hordeum vulgare was commonly grown in Late Neolithic and Bronze Age times, whereas in the Early Iron Age it was replaced by the hulled variety. The charred seeds from Zijderveld suggest that in the middle of the country hulled six-row barley was cultivated at about 1400 B.C. Hordeum distichum constituted an important crop plant in Early Mediaeval Dorestad.

One may assume that at least from about 1000 B.C. onward Panicum miliaceum was grown in the Netherlands. The cultivation of Avena sativa could only be demonstrated for Dorestad.

The history of Linum usitatissimum is still obscure; seeds and other remains of flax occur commonly in coastal settlement sites. Camelina sativa is likwise represented in those settlements.

The earliest finds of celtic bean (Vicia faba var. minor) are from Roman sites, while pea (Pisum sativum) was only met with in Dorestad.

It is likely that in addition to fruits and nuts (hazel, acorn, apple), seeds of various weeds were collected intentionally.