Resumen de Ubaid plant use at Tell Zeidan, Syria
Alexia Smith, Philip J. Graham, Gil Stein
This paper presents data from 47 archaeobotanical samples recovered from domestic and non-domestic portions of Tell Zeidan, a large Ubaid period site in Syria that lies at the confluence of the Euphrates and the Balikh rivers. Numerous pyrotechnic features indicate intensive and repeated craft production. Charred wood remains were very well represented in all pyrotechnic features, whereas dung remains were sparse, suggesting that wood was the predominant fuel. Cultivars recovered from the site include Hordeum vulgare subsp. distichum, Triticum dicoccum, free-threshing T. durum/ aestivum, Lens culinaris, Vicia ervilia, cf. Pisum sp., and Linum usitatissimum. Statistically significant differences were observed between botanical assemblages from the pyrotechnic features and domestic portions of the site. In general, the preservation and diversity of plant use is greater in the domestic areas relative to the industrial area, although cultivars are present in both portions of the site. Cereal chaff and weed data indicate that hulled wheats were stored in cleaned spikelet form where they could be used on an as-need basis. It is possible that labor was pooled to process crops immediately post-harvest. The inhabitants of Tell Zeidan may have used floodwater recession agriculture to cultivate crops and the unpredictability of this system may have prompted a social response that led to enhanced social complexity.
