A thousand years of farming : agricultural practices from the Byzantine to early Ottoman period at Khirbet Faris, the Kerak Plateau, Jordan
This archaeobotanical analysis was carried out as part of the Khirbet Faris project: a multi- disciplinary archaeological study of a rural village on the Kerak plateau with a chronology dating from the Bronze Age to Ottoman period. It has contributed to the debate surrounding settlement, economic continuity and change and the influence of Islamic expansion on agricultural practices in this environmentally and politically marginal location. An ethnoarchaeological analysis, FIBS (Functional Interpretation of Botanical studies), was carried out to aid the interpretation of crop management practices from archaeobotanical remains. Results of the analysis have indicated general continuity in agricultural activity from the Byzantine to early Ottoman periods: Free threshing wheats, barley, pulses, fig, olive and vine were all cultivated throughout this period. The samples were rich and of mixed origin, and typically dominated by cereal grain and chaff (mostly cleaned barley and wheat grain and chaff). Settled farmers seem to have adopted a mixed economy, utilising a range of crops together with animal herds. Crop residues were used to feed herds and the dung used as fuel, to varying degrees across the site, throughout
Hoppe, Chantelle
A thousand years of farming : agricultural practices from the Byzantine to early Ottoman period at Khirbet Faris, the Kerak Plateau, Jordan. This archaeobotanical analysis was carried out as part of the Khirbet Faris project: a multi- disciplinary archaeological study of a rural village on the Kerak plateau with a chronology dating from the Bronze Age to Ottoman period. It has contributed to the debate surrounding settlement, economic continuity and change and the influence of Islamic expansion on agricultural practices in this environmentally and politically marginal location. An ethnoarchaeological analysis, FIBS (Functional Interpretation of Botanical studies), was carried out to aid the interpretation of crop management practices from archaeobotanical remains. Results of the analysis have indicated general continuity in agricultural activity from the Byzantine to early Ottoman periods: Free threshing wheats, barley, pulses, fig, olive and vine were all cultivated throughout this period. The samples were rich and of mixed origin, and typically dominated by cereal grain and chaff (mostly cleaned barley and wheat grain and chaff). Settled farmers seem to have adopted a mixed economy, utilising a range of crops together with animal herds. Crop residues were used to feed herds and the dung used as fuel, to varying degrees across the site, throughout
farming agricultural_practice byzantine early ottoman period plateau jordan archaeobotanical_analysis carry part project multi disciplinary archaeological_study rural village plateau chronology date bronze age ottoman period contributed debate_surround settlement economic continuity_change influence islamic expansion agricultural_practice environmentally politically marginal location ethnoarchaeological analysis study_carry aid interpretation crop management_practice archaeobotanical remains analysis_indicate general continuity agricultural_activity byzantine early ottoman period free wheat barley pulse cultivate throughout_period sample rich mixed origin typically dominated cereal grain chaff mostly clean barley wheat grain chaff settled farmer seem adopt mixed_economy utilising range crop together animal herd crop residue use feed herd dung use fuel vary_degree across site throughout