Cite this as: Hristova, H. and Petkova, K. 2023 What's Down the Hole? Archaeobotanical evidence on plant subsistence and vegetation during the Hellenistic period at an archaeological site near Voditza village, north-eastern Bulgaria, Internet Archaeology 62. https://doi.org/10.11141/ia.62.8
The archaeological site 5012-West in the territory of the village of Voditza, Targovishte Region, north-eastern Bulgaria, is interesting because of its features and wide chronological range. From an area of 7000m², a total of 116 structures from various chronological periods have been excavated. However, pits from the Hellenistic Period (late 3rd to early 1st century BC) are most numerous and provide invaluable archaeobotanical evidence on plant subsistence and local vegetation. The archaeobotanical remains have been recovered from flotation samples, collected from pitfills. The archaeobotanical assemblage comprises carbonised remains from several annual cereal crops – hulled and free-threshing wheats, naked barley (Hordeum vulgare var. nudum L.), millet (Panicum miliaceum L.), oat (Avena sativa L.) and chaff. The weedy flora is represented by annual ruderal and synanthrophic species such as goosefoot (Chenopodium album L.), bedstraw (Galium aparine L.), knotgrass (Polygonum aviculare L.), and wild mustard (Sinapis arvensis L.). Based on the discovered plant remains, we can only propose a partial reconstruction of the agricultural practices and local vegetation cover. However, the collection of samples from specific contexts – storage facilities and pits, provided an opportunity to observe the 'secondary environment' of the utilised plant resources and to identify possible depositional processes. Thus, taphonomic and contextual analyses gave us important insights into the behavioural factors that affected the composition of the archaeobotanical assemblage.
Corresponding author: Hanna Hristova
hkh921027@gmail.com
National Archaeological Institute with Museum, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
Kalina Petkova
kalina.petkova@gmail.com
National Archaeological Institute with Museum, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
Figure 1: Location of the site and aerial photos in the beginning of the rescue excavations in 2020. Image credit: K. Petkova
Figure 2: Distribution of structures from different periods of occupation of the site (within the boundaries of the studied area). Image credit: K. Petkova
Figure 3: Charred plant remains a-g) remains of cereal crops (magnification x10); h-k) seeds of grass species (magnification x20). Microscope images: H. Hristova
Figure 4: Structure 11 with the thick layer of burnt organic remains at the bottom and quantitative distribution of plant species, found in the samples.
Figure 5: Structure 50 and quantitative distribution of plant remains, found inside the cup Dacica.
Figure 6: Structure 51 and quantitative distribution of plant remains, found around the Rhodian amphora.
Figure 7: Structure 51 and quantitative distribution of plant remains, found around the cup type Dacica.
Figure 8: Structure 55: a-b) the ceramic vessels, deposited inside the pit; c) transverse plane of charred wood fragment of Quercus sp.; magnification 10x.
Figure 9: Structure 99: a-b) the ceramic vessels, deposited inside the pit; c) transverse plane of charred wood fragments of Quercus sp. and Fagus sylvatica L.; magnification 10x.
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