Water management practices and climate in ancient agriculture: inferences from the stable isotope composition of archaeobotanical remains |
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Authors: | Juan P Ferrio José Luis Araus Ramon Buxó Jordi Voltas Jordi Bort |
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Institution: | (1) Departament de Producció Vegetal i Ciencia Forestal, E.T.S.E.A, Universitat de Lleida, Av. Rovira Roure, 191, E-25198 Lleida, Spain;(2) Unitat de Fisiologia Vegetal, Departament de Biologia Vegetal, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal, 645, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain;(3) Museu d’Arqueologia de Catalunya, C. Pedret, 95, E-17007 Girona, Spain |
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Abstract: | Carbon isotope discrimination (Δ13C) in charred grains from archaeological sites provides reliable information about water availability of ancient crops. However,
as cereals are cultivated plants, they may reflect not only climatic fluctuations, but also the effect on water status of
certain agronomic practices, such as sowing in naturally wet soils or irrigation. In this work, we propose a methodological
approach to combine Δ13C data from different plant species, in order to discriminate between climate-derived and anthropogenic effects on ancient
crops. We updated previous models for estimating water inputs from Δ13C of cereal grains of Hordeum vulgare and Triticum aestivum/durum, and we applied them to published data from several archaeological sites, including samples from the Neolithic to the present
day in northeast and southeast Spain, as well as from the Neolithic site of Tell Halula (northwest Syria). We found an important
decrease in water availability from the Neolithic to the present time in the three areas of study, especially clear for the
two driest areas (southeast Spain and northwest Syria). Potential differences in water management practices between wheat
and barley, as well as between cereal and legume crops (Vicia faba and Lens culinaris), are also discussed on the basis of the comparison of Δ13C values across several archaeological sites. |
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Keywords: | Carbon isotope discrimination (Δ 13C) Wheat Barley Legumes Middle Euphrates Iberian Peninsula |
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