agriculture
Pit Preserve from Ida – on the Problem of Charred Seeds from Prehistoric Pits
Introduction
A wild seed propagator and gardener (such as myself) relies on years of close human-plant interaction. The adaptability of domesticated and many wild plants to human economy and behaviour has always thrilled me. When I first read archaeological reports of frequent and large amounts of prehistoric charred seeds that were dumped in the ground I was bemused. It contrasted starkly with the care and sensitivity I use in the processes of seed harvest, drying and selection. So I started reading more and also charring seeds myself.
Agriculture
Farming or growing crops
The Creation of an Experimental Camp of Protohistory at the Iberian Settlement of Estinclells (Verdú, Urgell, Catalonia)
Interview: Helmut ‘Hugo’ Windl
Where did the first corn come from (CH)?
The first kinds of corn cultivated in Switzerland in the Young Stone Age (about 7,500 years ago) were wheat and barley. These kinds of corn were not indigenous in Europe before they were first grown here, meaning they...
In the Late Middle Ages in the Netherlands, were houses only for sale or could one as well rent a house (NL)?
There are limited numbers or other facts from before 1900. What is clear is that renting or tenancy of land and house found its origin in the Middle Ages, or even before that. The population was by far oriented on the agrarian way...
In the Iron Age, didn't they have any domestic animals like cattle, cats or dogs (NL)?
They had cattle, but much smaller then the domesticated kinds we know of today. Dogs are the oldest pets but cats were not there yet in these days in this area, not until the Romans came...
What did people eat in the Iron Age (NL)?
For sure no potatoes or tomatoes, these originate in America. Food was only seasonally available: bread and porridge was always available where there was cereal - by the end of the Winter, people often suffered from hunger...
What did people eat and drink in the early Middle Ages (NL)?
The main foodstuff for the early medieval person was grain. It was cooked as a whole grain or ground down and used for porridge or bread. Meat, fish, vegetables, peas, beans and lentils were used in stews and soups which were seasoned with salt and herbs...