Gathered fruits and cultivated plants at Bercy (Paris), a Neolithic village in a fluvial context |
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Authors: | Marie-France Dietsch |
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Institution: | (1) Laboratoire d'études des Sociétés Préhistoriques, Université Paris X — Nanterre, 200 avenue de la République, F-92001 Nanterre Cedex, France |
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Abstract: | Recent rescue excavations at Bercy (Paris), a site on the alluvial plain of the Seine valley, yielded plant remains which
are associated with the recent occupation phase dating from the middle Neolithic II (Chasséen), when a village was established
on the former channel of the river Seine. Various contexts (the channel, the flat lower part of the bank, and several archaeological
features) have been studied and 84 taxa have been identified. Cultivated plants are represented by Triticum aestivum/durum, T. dicoccum, T. monococcum and Hordeum vulgare. Among the wild plants with potentially edible fruits or seeds, only very few satisfy the various criteria for association
with human activities: Corylus avellana, Vitis sylvestris, Cornus sanguinea, Quercus sp. and Prunus spinosa of which carbonized fruits were also present, were found in archaeological features and were very abundant. Though not found
in archaeological features, we consider that Crataegus monogyna (carbonized and well represented) and Rubus spp. (especially abundant) were not deposited there naturally and had also been intentionally collected. Finally, it is suggested
that the allochthonous (varied) origin of these taxa is the reason why there are no concentrations of their fruits in the
channel. The exploitation of wild seeds and fruits appears to have been very selective. All other wild taxa can be attributed
to natural deposition. |
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Keywords: | Seeds Neolithic Channel Natural processes Human activities |
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