Mediterranean Diet5d ago

The history of olive cultivation in the southern Levant

Abstract The olive tree (Olea europaea L. subsp. europaea var. europaea) is one of the most important crops across the Mediterranean, particul…
#dining #cooking #diet #food #mediterranean #MediterraneanDiet #MediterraneanFood #MediterraneanOliveOil #OliveOil #Archaeobotany #Cropwildrelatives #Landraces #Mediterranean #Olive #Olives #palynology
https://www.diningandcooking.com/2552371/the-history-of-olive-cultivation-in-the-southern-levant/

Dining and Cooking5d ago

The history of olive cultivation in the southern Levant

Abstract The olive tree (Olea europaea L. subsp. europaea var. europaea) is one of the most important crops across the Mediterranean, particularly the southern Levant. Its regional economic impor…
#dining #cooking #diet #food #MediterraneanOliveOil #OliveOil #Archaeobotany #Cropwildrelatives #Landraces #Mediterranean #Olive #Olives #palynology
https://www.diningandcooking.com/2552371/the-history-of-olive-cultivation-in-the-southern-levant/

Scientific FrontlineFeb 22
Archaeobotany, frequently used interchangeably with paleoethnobotany, is the multidisciplinary scientific study of past human-plant interactions through the recovery, identification, and analysis of plant remains from archaeological contexts.
#Archaeobotany #paleoethnobotany #Botany #Archeology #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/02/cat02222601.html
Archaeobotany: In-Depth Description

While archaeobotany is a specialized subset of archaeology, it is further divided into distinct branches based on the size and type of the botanical

Anthropology.netFeb 20
Early farmers accidentally bred “warrior” wheat — plants shaped over millennia to fight neighbors for light and space. Then modern breeding had to undo all of it. A wild loop in crop evolution. #HumanEvolution #Archaeobotany #CropScience https://www.anthropology.net/p/how-early-farmers-accidentally-bred
How Early Farmers Accidentally Bred Wheat to Fight

Ancient cultivation created warrior plants. Modern breeding had to undo the damage.

Anthropology.net
Anthropology.netFeb 13
New climate models show wild wheat and barley were less widespread 12,000 years ago than today—and got scarcer as the climate warmed. #Archaeology #NeolithicRevolution #PlantDomestication #Archaeobotany https://www.anthropology.net/p/when-the-climate-got-better-the-plants
When the Climate Got Better, the Plants Disappeared

Machine learning reveals that the ancestors of wheat and barley were less common after the Ice Age ended, not more.

Anthropology.net
Scientific FrontlineFeb 12
Ancestors of key #crops like wheat, barley, and rye were significantly less widespread in the Middle East 12,000 years ago than previously believed, surviving primarily in a "refugium" along the Mediterranean coast of the Levant.
#Archeology #Archaeobotany #Paleoclimatology #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/02/arch02122601.html
New study maps where wheat, barley and rye grew before the first farmers found them

The first farming societies were established in the Middle East about 12,000 years ago

Anthropology.netFeb 4
New synthesis shows Italians exploited olive trees for 6,000+ years and produced oil 4,000 years ago, far earlier than once thought. Evidence challenges colonial narratives. #Archaeology #AncientHistory #RomanItaly #Paleobotany #Archaeobotany https://www.anthropology.net/p/the-italian-olive-goes-back-further
The Italian Olive Goes Back Further Than Anyone Expected

New archaeological evidence shows exploitation of olive trees in Italy began 6,000 years ago, and oil production may have started 4,000 years ago

Anthropology.net
Nika ShilobodFeb 4

I've passed my #viva (yay!) and can now share two recent publications:

First, our article on reconstructing prehistoric land cover in the Humberhead Levels is now out in Vegetation History and #Archaeobotany.

We applied the Multiple Scenario Approach to produce spatially-informed quantitative reconstructions across four #prehistoric periods, working through the complexities of #wetland-rich 'blue-green' #landscapes where #freshwater and #marine systems intersect.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00334-026-01087-6

Second, I contributed to the #archaeology chapter in The Palgrave Handbook of #Anarchism (March 2026), which connects #anarchist theory and #history to contemporary political developments.

https://link.springer.com/book/9783031980299

More publications on the way as well and on to what comes next, whatever that might be (pls send me your #postdoc postings 🙏 😅 ).

#geoarchaeology #palaeoecology #gis

Anthropology.netJan 22
A wild potato carried across the Colorado Plateau reveals an Indigenous path toward domestication long before maize ruled the Southwest. Stone tools, starch grains, and living plants tell the story. #Archaeobotany #IndigenousScience #HumanEvolution https://www.anthropology.net/p/the-tiny-potato-that-traveled-far
The Tiny Potato That Traveled Far

How a wild tuber reshapes the early history of farming on the Colorado Plateau

Anthropology.net
DAIDec 9

From seeds to stories! - In a hands-on #fieldschool in #archaeobotany on #Elephantine Island in November, hosted by #Kairo_DAI and supported by @AuswaertigesAmt, colleagues from the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities gained unique insights into ancient Egyptian life - from what people cultivated and ate to how they built, traded, and practiced rituals.

https://www.dainst.org/newsroom/noslug/718