Abstract
The results of the hearth and house experiments show that different types of seeds of different cultivated plants char to different extents. Cereal grains show a lower resistance to high temperatures, whereas grape pips and pulses become completely carbonized at higher temperatures. These differences mainly depend upon the structure of the seeds (thickness of the seed coat) even if other factors (moisture content and weather), difficult to control and measure, are also involved. The experiments provide valuable information for the interpretation of archaeobotanical material found in a reconstructed protohistoric house. By comparing the laboratory results and those obtained in the field, it was possible to get much information about the carbonization process of archaeobotanical material.
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We thank G. Falcone for graphic support.
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Guarino, C., Sciarrillo, R. Carbonized seeds in a protohistoric house: results of hearth and house experiments. Veget Hist Archaeobot 13, 65–70 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00334-003-0026-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00334-003-0026-3