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Smyrnium olusatrum L. (alexanders): an ancient kitchen herb from late medieval Rotterdam (The Netherlands)

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Abstract

An archaeobotanical sample from Rotterdam (The Netherlands), dating to ad 1400–1425, yielded carbonized split fruits of Smyrnium olusatrum. Just two other archaeobotanical records of this species exist, both from the UK. Based on written medieval sources, the species must have been more common in medieval Europe than the archaeobotanical record would suggest. The remains resemble vegetative plant tissue. This article aims to attract attention to the identification of these characteristic remains.

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Acknowledgments

P. Ploegaert and A.J. Guiran (BOOR, Rotterdam) are kindly acknowledged for providing the samples and discussing various aspects of the research of Rotterdam-Markthal. Jan Bastiaens (VIOE, Brussels, Belgium) and Örni Akeret (IPNA, Basel, Switserland) were of indispensable help in the identification of the split fruits as S. olusatrum and Allan Hall kindly provided the British records of this species. Örni Akeret and one anonymous referee are thanked for their helpful comments on an earlier version of this article.

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  1. Cultural Heritage Agency, PO Box 1600, 3800 BP, Amersfoort, The Netherlands

    Otto Brinkkemper

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  1. Otto Brinkkemper
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Correspondence to Otto Brinkkemper.

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Communicated by F. Bittmann.

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Brinkkemper, O. Smyrnium olusatrum L. (alexanders): an ancient kitchen herb from late medieval Rotterdam (The Netherlands). Veget Hist Archaeobot 24, 249–252 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00334-014-0471-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00334-014-0471-1

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