Environmental conditions and human interference during the 6th and 13th–15th centuries a.d. at Vilnius Lower Castle, east Lithuania

Stančikaitė, Miglė; Kisielienė, Dalia; Mažeika, Jonas; Blaževičius, Povilas

doi:10.1007/s00334-008-0181-7

Cited by 29 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…Five morphotypes of Carex caryopses were identified, which likely all belong to different species (Fig 5). Most Carex plants grow in wetland ecosystems and tolerate saline waters [32]. The presence of sedge seeds among the domesticated grains at Chap II could mean that crops were grown in close proximity to sedges, possibly along irrigated channels or mountain streams.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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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“…Aptariamuoju laikotarpiu ši stačiatikių apgyvendinta teritorija jiems, kaip atvykėliams kitatikiams, buvo patogiausia gyventi erdvė besikuriančiame mieste (dabartiniame senamiestyje): palyginti netoli (apie 550 m) nuo valdovo pilies, t. y. šalia saugaus gyvenimo garanto, bet atskirai nuo vietinių pagonių gyvenamų teritorijų; čia susiėjo įvairių krypčių kelių kryžkelė, aukštai buvo grun tiniai vandenys. Šiame priemiestyje kūrėsi stačiatikiai, galėję atvykti iš Juodosios Rusios slaviškų miestų arba HaličoVolynės per Juodąją Rusią, jotvingių žemes [10,[25][26][27].…”

Section: įVadasunclassified

“…Valdant di džiajam kunigaikščiui Algirdui pastebimas šios miesto dalies suklestėjimas -teritorija išau go iki maždaug 12 ha [10,[22][23][24][25][26][27], o XIV a. pabaigoje Civitas Rutenica pasiekė savo plėtros piką ir užėmė apie 15 ha plotą. 1387 m. oficialiai pasirinkus lotyniškų apeigų krikštą, prasi dėjo naujas skirtingų konfesijų Vilniuje sugyvenimo etapas.…”

Section: Istorinis Kontekstasunclassified

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Archaeobotanical Investigations of a Burnt-down Storage Shed in the Civitas Rutenica Quarter: An Insight into the Daily Lives of Foreigners in Vilnius in the Late Fourteenth Century – the First Half of the Fifteenth Century

Matuzevičiūtė¹,

Jonaitis²,

Kaplūnaitė³

2018

lituanistica

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The article focuses on the study of a domestic building that was used to store crops and burned down sometime in the fourteenth century–the first half of the fifteenth century (the time limits are confirmed by a radiocarbon date received from dating cereal grains directly 484 ± 44 BP [FTMC-23-1]). This domestic building was situated within the boundaries of the Civitas Rutenica quarter of Vilnius, which was populated by the first Orthodox Christians of Vilnius. The earliest Orthodox Christians arrived in Vilnius from the Duchy of Galicia-Volhynia and from the Slavic cities of Black Rus sometime in the second half of the thirteenth century. The archaeobotanical investigations of the storage shed have shown that the residents of Civitas Rutenica cultivated crops of rye and buckwheat. In total, about 40 litres of rye and a bag of buckwheat were recovered (the volume was not recorded during archaeological excavations). The crops contained unthreshed grains that were clearly left as seed to be planted the following year. A detailed analysis of those crop remains gives us two important insights into the lives of the population of Civitas Rutenica. There has been an ongoing debate on how the integration of the first Orthodox Christians took place in the city of Vilnius and whether their rights were restricted after Lithuania officially accepted Catholicism. The presence of cereal with chaff within the boundaries of the Orthodox city could imply that here people (at least some families) had rights to land ownership or rent, and that they were allowed to cultivate the land within or near the city boundaries. The data derived from studying archaeobotanical plant remains could also point towards the potentially positive relationships between the grand dukes of Lithuania and the Orthodox Christians of Vilnius. Nevertheless, it is important to note that the sample size is currently too small to make more conclusive observations. The dominance of rye and certain weed types at the archaeobotanical assemblage points towards the crop cultivation conditions on well-drained sandy soils that could have been in a close proximity to the Orthodox quarter, such as the slopes of the Vilnia River.

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“…Pea (Pisum sativum) remains are also very rare in material from other medieval town sites from this region of Europe (e.g. Wieserowa 1967, 1979, Wasylikowa 1978, Beneš et al 2002, Badura et al 2005, Stančikaitë et al 2008, Kirleis 2009, Badura 2011.…”

Section: Amaranthus Lividusmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cultivated plants in medieval Kraków (Poland), with special reference to amaranth (Amaranthus lividus L. cf. var lividus) and ruderal communities

Mueller-Bieniek¹,

Walanus²,

Zaitz³

2015

Acta Palaeobotanica

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ABSTRACT. This paper summarises archaeobotanical studies of plant macroremains derived from medieval town deposits of Kraków, focusing on cultivated plants. Correspondence analysis was used in interpreting the botanical data and their archaeological context. Changes in cultivated plant composition were connected mainly with the chartering of the town under Magdeburg law in 1257, and are discussed in terms of their temporal relation to the chartering of Kraków and possible changes in the food preferences and wealth of the residents. Millet and wheat remains are rarer in specimens from after the establishment of the town; this seems connected mainly with the relocation of the mills outside the city walls. The number of cultivated plants generally increased in the late medieval samples, but hop and mallow were more frequent in the tribal period than later. Problems in the definition of cultivated plants are discussed. The probable escape of cultivated amaranth (Amaranthus lividus L. var. lividus) from gardens to ruderal communities is indicated in the samples. A comparison of archaeobotanical data from written sources shows the incompleteness of both types of source, including the clear underrepresentation of some cultivated plants in the archaeological deposits of the town (especially peas, Pisum sativum), a deficiency which should be considered in other archaeobotanical and palaeodietary studies.

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Environmental conditions and human interference during the 6th and 13th–15th centuries a.d. at Vilnius Lower Castle, east Lithuania

Cited by 29 publications

References 4 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

Archaeobotanical Investigations of a Burnt-down Storage Shed in the Civitas Rutenica Quarter: An Insight into the Daily Lives of Foreigners in Vilnius in the Late Fourteenth Century – the First Half of the Fifteenth Century

Cultivated plants in medieval Kraków (Poland), with special reference to amaranth (Amaranthus lividus L. cf. var lividus) and ruderal communities

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