Agricultural Management and Culinary Culture in the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age Aegean: Archaeobotanical and Stable Isotope Insights from Region I, Xeropolis, Lefkandi

This study reports archaeobotanical and crop stable-isotope results from Building M and its environs at Xeropolis (Lefkandi, Euboea), a key Aegean site spanning the Late Bronze–Early Iron Age transition. The results demonstrated diachronic patterns in crop use, agricultural management, and culinary...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Livarda, Alexandra, Kotzamani, Georgia, Diffey, Charlotte, Evely, Doniert, Sabato, Diego, Lloyd, Matthew, Lemos, Irene
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:España
Institución:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
Repositorio:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
OAI Identifier:oai:recercat.cat:2072/488904
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/2072/488904
https://doi.org/10.1080/14614103.2025.2583561
Access Level:acceso embargado
Palabra clave:Restes de plantes (Arqueologia) -- Grècia
Leukantion (Grècia) -- Arqueologia
Edat del ferro -- Grècia
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Descripción
Sumario:This study reports archaeobotanical and crop stable-isotope results from Building M and its environs at Xeropolis (Lefkandi, Euboea), a key Aegean site spanning the Late Bronze–Early Iron Age transition. The results demonstrated diachronic patterns in crop use, agricultural management, and culinary practice. The assemblage included numerous food and wild plants, indicating a variable, culture-specific cuisine. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses revealed crop-specific, phase-dependent differences in water availability and manuring. During the first occupation phase, distinct cultivation regimes—likely reflecting separate field systems—were evident for most crops. In the second phase, all crops were grown under reduced manuring, possibly reflecting shifts in subsistence and plant management, underpinning periods that led to increasing socio-political stress. The data combined with comparative regional evidence, indicate that Xeropolis maintained both southern and northern Aegean contacts, reflected in its hybrid culinary traditions, while its diet was based on local and regional traditions. Overall, the study illuminates adaptability, agricultural planning, and food culture during a pivotal period, highlighting the interplay of environment, economy, and identity.