The plant macroremains from PPNB Tell Labwe (Lebanon)

TY - ABST

T1 - The plant macroremains from PPNB Tell Labwe (Lebanon)

AU - Gyurova, Dobrina

AU - Otaegui, Amaia Arranz

AU - Richter, Tobias

AU - Häidar-Boustani, Maya

AU - Ibañez, Juan José

PY - 2016

Y1 - 2016

N2 - Tell Labwe constitutes the oldest Neolithic settlement in the Beqaa Valley (Lebanon). This site was excavated by D. Kirkbride in 1966 and revealed a sequence dated from the Late PPNB to the Pottery Neolithic. In 2011, a Lebanese-Spanish team carried out a fieldwork season in order to complete the data obtained previously by D. Kirkbride. The work focused on a 47 m length and 4 m high section of the tell, and excavations focused on the western sector. The C14 analyses showed that the foundation of the Neolithic village dates back to 8100 +/- 40 BP, whilst the last occupation phase was dated to 7640 +/- 40 BP. In this paper, we present the final results of wood charcoal and non-woody plant macroremain analyses. The results highlight the presence of oak-woodland and woodland-steppe trees in the immediate vicinity of the site, although mountain resources were also exploited as suggested by the presence of cedar. The analyses also suggest the cultivation of different crops, from which lentils seem to have been regularly consumed. Tell Labwe represents so far one of the few archaeological sites that have provided data in order to understand past vegetation and plant-based subsistence during the Neolithic in Lebanon.

AB - Tell Labwe constitutes the oldest Neolithic settlement in the Beqaa Valley (Lebanon). This site was excavated by D. Kirkbride in 1966 and revealed a sequence dated from the Late PPNB to the Pottery Neolithic. In 2011, a Lebanese-Spanish team carried out a fieldwork season in order to complete the data obtained previously by D. Kirkbride. The work focused on a 47 m length and 4 m high section of the tell, and excavations focused on the western sector. The C14 analyses showed that the foundation of the Neolithic village dates back to 8100 +/- 40 BP, whilst the last occupation phase was dated to 7640 +/- 40 BP. In this paper, we present the final results of wood charcoal and non-woody plant macroremain analyses. The results highlight the presence of oak-woodland and woodland-steppe trees in the immediate vicinity of the site, although mountain resources were also exploited as suggested by the presence of cedar. The analyses also suggest the cultivation of different crops, from which lentils seem to have been regularly consumed. Tell Labwe represents so far one of the few archaeological sites that have provided data in order to understand past vegetation and plant-based subsistence during the Neolithic in Lebanon.

M3 - Conference abstract for conference

T2 - IWGP

Y2 - 3 July 2016 through 10 July 2016

ER -