Grapes or raisins?

An early Bronze Age larder under the microscope

Caroline R. Cartwright*
The sudden conflagration of an Early Bronze Age room at Tell es-Sa'idiyeh in the Jordan valley resulted in the preservation of a remarkable assemblage of plant remains. Using microscopy and experiment, the author was able to detect fruits previously sun dried for preservation. Grapes, figs, pomegranate, olives, cereals, legumes and capers provided the most conclusive evidence for the drying and preservation of food. Keywords: Early Bronze Age, Jordan, Tell es-Sa'idiyeh, archaeobotany,food storage

Introduction
Tell es-Sa'idiyeh, a large double mound, is prominently situated in the central part of the fertile alluvial plain of the Jordan valley, about 1.8 km east of the River Jordan. The Lower and Upper Tells span the Early Bronze Age through the Persian Period - only the Middle Bronze Age isabsent. Excavations of the tell since 1964 have revealed extensive architectural remains of different functions (Tubb etal. 1997). On the LowerTell, Late BronzeAge graves cover much of the extensive underlying Early Bronze Age domestic and industrial architectural complexes. One of these complexes revealed a small room containing a remarkable assemblage of ceramic store-jars, platters, small bowls, juglets and a jug with an internal strainer. Also present were flint blades, bone points, beads and a copper alloy axe head. The sudden conflagration of the room had preserved these artefacts in close association with a significant assemblage of charred archaeobotanical material. Standard techniques of optical microscopy were used to identify the charred plant remains, using comparisons with *modern reference material of wild and cultivated taxa. However, the condition of some of the fruits raised the question of whether they had simply been burnt in the fire or were already stored dry. To address this question a series of experimental charrings were carried out on modern specimens in a laboratory kiln in an attempt to replicate the archaeological material. Standard techniques of scanning electron microscopy were then used to examine and compare the replicated specimens with the originals. The charred archaeobotanical assemblage consisted of cereal remains, fruits, legumes and weeds. Cereals included wheat (Triticum sp.) and barley (Hordeum sp.). The pulses consisted of lentils (Lens sp.), chickpeas (Cicer sp.) and faba bean (Viciafaba). Weed seeds, associated with cultivation, were also present in some juglets. Cultivated fruits included grapes (Vitis vinifera), figs (Ficussp.), a pomegranate (Punicagranatlum)and some olive pits (Olea europaea).
'Department ofScicntific Research, British Muscum, London UK (Email: ccartwright@thebritishmuseum.ac.uk) Received: February2002; accepted: March 2003

345

CarolineR. Cartwright

Wild fruits from hawthorn (Crataegutssp.) and Christ's thorn (Ziziphus spina-christi) trees were present. Small nutlets of wild pistachio (Pistacia sp.) and acorns (Qlerculs sp.) were recovered from two of the juglets. One of the small bowls contained flower buds of caper (Capparisspinosa), the first such find for the region and the period.

Evidence for preservation

Charred grape pips were found, but unusually, whole grapes were also present. Despite having been charred, they were almost perfectly round with little wrinkling of the skin (Figure 1). At first, the grapes were assumed to have been burnt while fresh. However, experimental charring of modern fresh grapes revealed that it was impossible to replicate the condition and appearance of the archaeological material by charring fresh grapes. In all cases, the grapes remained uncharred and mostly disintegrated to pulp; only the pips and stems would char. The only method of successfully replicating the archaeological specimens was to char raisins.
After charring a batch in the

kiln for 50 minutes at 350 X degrees, the raisins appeared

to 're-inflate'. These replicated

their archaeological counterparts very closely in

size, form and surface

0
-

~ ~'

appearance. This does not

-'-

prove incontrovertibly that

the archaeological remains
'<

:
.-

'--,

were raisins rather than fresh A

grapes, but the evidence i
t 7 _ 10-

I.
S

',

points strongly in that8 direction. Further support for this interpretation was given after examination of the

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Figure Early BronzeAgecharredwholegrape or raisin. xlI

archaeological specimens
under the scanning electno Fig microscope. The fruites surface showed many crystalline Ki features (Figure 2), possibly produced through sun drying which allowed fruit sugarst crystallise to the surface, thus r,r preserving the fruit. Charred fig seeds were found, but, more significantly, ther'e were also specimens of charred whole figs and fig ~}

.;

pulp. Experimental charring

of fresh and dried figs was not

Figure2 SEMphotomicrographof ciysallinefeatureson thegrapesurface.xl000

346

Grapes or raisins?An early Bronze Age larder under the microscope

as informative as it had been for the grapes. Charred whole figs could be produced from fresh and dried modern samples alike, and both resembled the archaeological specimens. Examination under the scanning electron microscope of the surface of the charred fig pulp fragments was more useful. This revealed crystalline features similar to those present on the raisins. This observation is consistent with the possibility that the Early Bronze Age figs had been dried or pressed into cake-like blocks for storage. One charred pomegranate was preserved largely intact, but with its calyx missing. Experimental charring using fresh fruit to replicate this specimen proved problematic, being mildly explosive owing to the fruit's high moisture content. Only a specimen which had been dried for several years emerged intact after charring. Although pomegranates are usually eaten fresh or pressed for extracting the juice at the present day, the fruits can be stored for a long periods without spoiling, even up to seven months. The archaeological specimen may have been quite an old fruit, stored for a long period or even dried. 'Whole grains of wheat and barley were found (Figure 3), sometimes tightly packed ~i together. Whole lentils, ~
chickpeas and faba beans were
y

Ii 0~~i
4...

also present. These provide

strong evidence for dried, store-__ cupboard items, as they are 7

present inunprepared form, i.e.

as whole grains. Whilst both ><

cereal grains and pulses can be

used whole, they both need to becooked.ifthey had beenp a r of a meal, it would have been

more usual to find them in

The form. processed *experimental replications which matched most closely

Figure3 EarlyBronzeAge charredwheatand barleygrains

to

~ ~
>

the archaeological examples were carried out using dried,

uncooked specimens. One pottery bowl contained flower buds. Examination of the charred surface of one of. these flower buds under the scanning electron microscope showed distinct, extensive

i?.

/*, 7~~~~7

fungal hyphae, which had been

th e l despiteblchrigpFgrese4).dFigure 4 i SEMphotomicrograph of thefungal hyplhaesipreadingover the surface oj he haring Figre ) .a charredEarlvBronze Aeecaper flower bud.xl000 despte 347
r

CarolineR. Cartwright

Pickled caper flower buds are an important food seasoning whose pungent flavour is due to the presence of the fungus and the pickling process. Different pickling processes result in a varying amount of fungus being present. Experimental replication was used to try to specify the pickling medium presumed to have been used for the archaeological specimens. Modern capers pickled in strongly saline brine were compared with those pickled in vinegar and capers preserved by large salt crystals without liquid. In all cases fungus was present to a degree, and the fungus survived the experimental charring process. The closest match for the archaeological caper flower buds with their surface fungus were the modern caper flower buds preserved in vinegar. Only a small number of charred olives were found in the store-cupboard assemblage. For use as food, olives need to be processed and stored, usually in brine or oil. It is reasonable to assume that the olives present in this context were preserved in this way. Elsewhere on the Lower Tell, where charred olive pits have been recovered in considerable quantities, they, too, could represent food remains. Alternatively, they could be remnants ofpressing for olive oil or jift (pressing waste used for fuel). Conclusions The wide range of foodstuffs recovered and their association with ceramic storage wares clearly suggests that this Tell es-Sa'idiyeh room had the function of a store-cupboard. The archaeobotanical assemblage studied is remarkable, not only for the range of plant remains, but also for the exceptional evidence that it has produced forEarlyBronzeAge food technology. A range of food preservation processes appear to have been practised, including drying and pickling. Such dried and preserved foods are likely to have had a role in the daily diet and economy of Bronze Age people in the region. Acknowledgements
I should like to thank Ian Freestone, Sheridan Bowman and Jonathan Tubb for reading and commenting on this paper in draft form.

Reference
TUBB, J.N., P.G. DoRRuLL & F. COBBING. 1997. Interim

report on the ninth season (1996) of excavations at

Tell es-Sa'idiyeh, PalestineExploration Quarterly
129: 54-77.

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