Aspects of early medieval farming from sites in Mediterranean France |
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Authors: | Marie-Pierre Ruas |
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Institution: | (1) CNRS, UMR 5608, Maison de la Recherche, Unité Toulousaine d’Archéologie et d’Histoire, 5 allées Antonio Machado, 31058 Toulouse cedex 9, France |
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Abstract: | This paper reviews archaeobotanical remains (seeds and fruits) from some early medieval sites in the Mediterranean area of
southern France (Lower Languedoc, Roussillon, Provence and Corsica). Four periods are distinguished, from the 5th-6th to the
11th-12th centuries A.D. The influence upon the results of the reliability of the samples, and the type of features from which
they came, is discussed. The few sites with abundant material limit the evidence for the farming system. A comparison with
northern France shows differences in the role of some crops in the local economy. The main crop plants were Triticum aestivum/durum, Hordeum vulgare and Vitis vinifera, followed by relatively smaller amounts of Avena sativa. Secale cereale and Panicum miliaceum occur sporadically. Specific identification of hulled wheat (T. dicoccum/spelta and T. cf. monococcum) is equivocal. The occurrence of Vicia faba var. minor, Pisum sativum, Lathyrus cicera and Linum usitatissimum varies between sites. The number of Lens culinaris finds indicates its probable cultivation. The occurrence of Cicer arietinum is limited in assemblages of this area. As in previous centuries, Vitis vinifera is the most common fruit of French medieval sites. Written sources from Catalonia and Languedoc and results from rescue excavations
indicate that the nature of viticulture changed after the Gallo-Roman period. Other cultivated fruits, Olea europaea, Prunus dulcis, P. domestica, P. avium, P. persica, Pinus pinea, Morus nigra, Ficus carica, Juglans regia and gathered wild fruit occur rarely. The farming, which was based on mixed farming, includes use of wetland and meadow. |
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Keywords: | Archaeobotany Crop plants Early middle age Farming practice Fruit cultivation Review Southern France |
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