Food plants in pollen records from ancient Southern Arabia: The evidences from Sumhuram (Southern Oman)

A dietary perspective of cat-human interactions in two medieval harbors in Iran and Oman revealed through stable isotope analysis

“…From the domestic mammals, sheep and goats have similar isotope values that range between − 10.7‰ and − 16.3‰ for carbon and between 5.8‰ and 10.7‰ for nitrogen, reflecting mainly the consumption of C 4 plants, partially at coastal sites 71 . Apart from a high variety of wild C 4 plants in the area 66 , archaeobotanical evidence from the region reveals the presence of cultivated C 4 plants, such as millet 72 , 73 and sorghum 74 , while historical sources attest that cultivated plants were intended for both human and animal consumption 75 . One sheep has a δ 13 C value of − 12.6‰ and a δ 15 N value of 15.3‰, reflecting the consumption of marine fish, which, based on medieval written testimonies, were used as fodder in the area during the sampled period 35 .…”

“…Historical information and archaeobotanical evidence indicate that fruit (especially dates), cereals (including wheat, rice, sorghum and millet) and vegetables (e.g., garlic and eggplant) were either cultivated and/or imported in pre-Islamic and Islamic Oman 72 , 74 , 75 , 82 , including medieval Qalhât 73 , 83 . The three rat specimens with lower δ 15 N values that were primarily feeding on crops, corroborate the presence of such plants at the site and likely their importance in human diets.…”

Modern Pollen Analysis in the Estuary Habitats along the Coast of Dhofar (Sultanate of Oman)

“…Our study allowed us to evaluate the pollen diffusion of the various plants growing along the wadi estuaries, both khwars (mangrove sites) and khors (non-mangrove sites), along the Dhofari coast and formulate some more general considerations on the relationship between vegetation and pollen rain, by comparing the list of plants occurring in the estuary vegetation with the list of pollen taxa in the surface soil samples. The study of this relationship is a crucial point of reference for the interpretation of ancient pollen records used in the reconstruction of the vegetation history of an area and to gain insights on the climate and the diet of the past inhabitants [19,54].…”

“…However, a larger number of sampling sites than the one presented here is necessary for a quantitative assessment of the representation of the pollen taxa through fidelity indices [56]. Phoenix, on the other hand, represents a special case in light of its peculiar artificial pollination mechanism and domestication history [12,54].…”