Plant economy of the first farmers of central Belgium (Linearbandkeramik, 5200–5000 b.c.)

Abstract

International audienceCarbonized fruits and seeds from 17 Linear- bandkeramik (LBK) sites in central Belgium are discussed. The number of cultivated plants is rather limited, and two cultivated cereals (maybe three with barley), two pulses and two oil plants have been identified. These results agree with those from other LBK sites. The uniformity of plant assemblages within the western LBK territory shows few variations at the regional and inter-regional levels. Gath- ering evidence seems to be more important west of central Belgium, but it has to be further investigated. Concerning cultivated plants, emmer is dominant west of the river Rhine whereas einkorn seems to have been preferred east of it. Naked barley could have been introduced to the western part of the LBK territory and indicates Mediter- ranean influence. Opium poppy seeds discovered in LBK sites confirm these influences, but poppy could have been cultivated for the first time by LBK people

Crop growing and gathering in the northern German Neolithic: a review supplemented by new results

“…It is the only cultivated plant in the European Neolithic of which the wild ancestors have their natural range in the western Mediterranean. But, as could be shown recently, the domestication of opium poppy most possibly took place in central Europe (Salavert 2011). …”

Revisiting and modelling the woodland farming system of the early Neolithic Linear Pottery Culture (LBK), 5600–4900 b.c.

“…The crop package is quite homogeneous on the LBK territory. A difference can be pointed out in the major hulled wheat cultivated, which seems to have been T. monococcum (einkorn) east of the Rhine and T. dicoccum (emmer) west of the Rhine (Kreuz 2007;Salavert 2011). Furthermore, the access to arable land also seems to have been different at site level as shown by Bogaard et al (2011) at Vaihingen, where various house groups cultivated areas at differing distances from the settlement.…”

“…Papaver somniferum (opium poppy) was noticed in the remains assemblages of some LBK sites, mostly those located in the westernmost part of this culture's territory (Knörzer 1971;Salavert 2010Salavert , 2011.…”

“…A holistic approach to the analysis of such farming systems is essential, however, in order to avoid independent assessment of individual components. The overall LBK system of land use should then be assumed to have included animal husbandry and predation Mixed cereals-pulses cropping > rotation: Nitrogen direct supply => ++ field fertility Archaeology: no disproof (Lüning, 2000) Sowing seasonality: Spring sowing => more crop security Archaeology: no disproof (Bogaard, 2004;Kreuz et al, 2005;Bakels, 2009) Intensive Pruning More winter fodder => more livestock => more manure => + field fertility Archaeology: no disproof (Kreuz, 1992;Burrel & Baudry, 1990;Thiébaud, 2005;Liagre, 2006) Pulses => less manure needs Nitrogen supply => + field fertility Archaeology : confirmation (Knörzer, 1971;Bakels, 1978;Kreuz, 1990Kreuz, , 2007Salavert, 2011) Fig. 1 Introducing soil fertilising & food securing proposals for sustaining the LBK permanent fields farming system (hunting, gathering) alongside cultivation of crops.…”

“…Cereals are the major group of plants in temperate areas which can fulfil this requirement. Following Knörzer (1971), Bakels (1978Bakels ( , 2009, Kreuz (1992Kreuz ( , 2007 and Salavert (2011), whose conclusions were based on archaeobotanical macroremains, we consider T. monococcum and T. dicoccum, a hulled wheat, as the main cereals in the LBK cropping system, Hordeum vulgare (barley) being rare and often considered as a weed (Kreuz 2007). …”