Barley grain at Uppåkra, Sweden

Evidence for selection in the Iron Age

Dados Bibliográficos

ID12200499
AutoresMikael Larsson (0000-0001-5024-1089, Lund University, autor correspondente)
Ano2017
Data de publicação2017-09-05
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoVegetation History and Archaeobotany (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0939-6314 • E-ISSN: 1617-6278
EditoraSpringer Science+Business Media (PUBLISHER • DE)
DOI10.1007/s00334-017-0633-z
OpenAlexW2753005512
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas4
Referências citadas20

A metric analysis on hulled barley grain from the Iron Age regional centre of Uppåkra and surrounding sites in southern Sweden has identified a variation in the size of the grain found on these archaeological sites. Large, high-quality grain was found more frequently at Uppåkra when compared to sites in the surrounding area, where smaller grain was more frequent. The observed large grain found at Uppåkra was, however, restricted to only a few house contexts, including hall-buildings, while other contexts on the site, such as areas dedicated to craft production, had barley assemblages containing smaller grain, similar to the size range found on the surrounding sites. The intra-site variation between different contexts at Uppåkra points to a degree of sorting for larger grain and that this variation between grain assemblages was the result of selection after the crop processing was completed. The distribution of grain size at Uppåkra shows a pattern that indicates that the high-quality barley grain was indented for specific individuals or households. The different contexts at Uppåkra have together produced a record spanning the first millennium ad, representing almost the whole existence of the site. The evidence for selection of larger grain can be seen in the hall-buildings throughout most of the first millennium ad, although less prominently during the Late Roman Iron Age (ad 200–400), while during the Migration Period (ad 400–550) several houses on the main site Uppåkra had assemblages of large grain size. The distribution of grain size at the regional centre Uppåkra shows a pattern that indicates that the handling of large high-quality barley grain was part of a spatial organization, and such organization is similar to other functions observed on the site. The long-term record of grain size patterns across time shows that a structure for handling grain was already in place during the early phase of the settlement and that it remained for centuries. This study indicates that the affluence otherwise seen at the regional centre Uppåkra from an abundance of high-status objects, could also include agricultural wealth, with extensive access to high-quality grain

Archaeology · Geography · Grain size · Range (aeronautics · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Historical and Archaeological Studies · Materials Science · Metallurgy and Cultural Artifacts · Geology