Local and Imported Plants of the Selitrennoye Settlement (based on materials from the excavation area LI (51))

Abstract

During excavations at the Selitrennoye settlement (Astrakhan region), aiming search for plant macroremains (seeds, grains, fruits of cultivated and wild plants), a series of 23 soil samples was collected to recover plant macro-remains (seeds, grains, and fruits of cultivated and wild plants). The samples were subsequently subjected to flotation and the retrieved remains were dried and analyzed under laboratory conditions. Sampling was carried out primarily from the rooms of a 14th-century homestead complex and its associated subterranean features cut into the sterile soil (subsoil); one sample was taken at a significant distance from the homestead. A total of at least 15 species of cultivated and utilized plants, as well as 61 taxa of wild and weed plants, were identified. The cultural layer of the site exhibits specific preservation conditions, allowing plant remains to survive not only in a carbonized state but also in mineralized and even desiccated/dehydrated forms. The main grain crops found are common millet and bread wheat. Among garden food plants, grape, water-melons and fig stand out; stone fruit pits were also encountered, along with rare finds such as sumac and eggplant.The definitions of some species – walnuts or celery family species – remain questionable due to insufficient preservation. The finds of grain are distributed relatively evenly among the samples, while the remains of garden plants and water-melons are confined to several contexts. An attempt was made to isolate imported species, and evidence of local millet cultivation was obtained.