Papers by Stefanie Jacomet
Praehistorische Zeitschrift, 1992
PLOS ONE, May 25, 2023
Domesticated opium poppy Papaver somniferum L. subsp. somniferum probably originated in the Weste... more Domesticated opium poppy Papaver somniferum L. subsp. somniferum probably originated in the Western Mediterranean from its possible wild progenitor, Papaver somniferum L. subsp. setigerum and spread to other European regions. Seeds of opium poppy have been identified in different European regions since the Early Neolithic (from the 6 th millennium cal. BC onwards) period. However, until recently, the absence of morphological identification criteria has prevented the discrimination between wild and domestic morphotypes. New morphometric approaches to distinguish modern subspecies have been proven to be applicable to waterlogged archaeological remains, opening the possibility of understanding the process of domestication of the plant in both time and space. This paper applies seed outline analyses, namely elliptic Fourier transforms, combined with size and number of cells to archaeological waterlogged Papaver seeds throughout the Neolithic period in the NW Mediterranean and the surroundings of the Alps. Furthermore, one example from the Late Bronze Age (LBA) was added to see what kind of differences appeared during the >1000 years between the end of the Neolithic and the LBA. The aim of the study is to classify the archaeological seeds as domestic or wild morphotypes and observe morphometric changes in connection to geographical and chronological patterns that can explain the spread and domestication process(es) of this important crop. A total of 295 archaeological seeds coming from 10 waterlogged sites dating between 5300-2300 cal. BC (Neolithic), and one LBA site dating to 1070 cal. BC were analysed. The results indicate the presence of seeds, similar to the wild morphotype, in the Mediterranean sites and larger seeds, similar to the domestic morphotype, in the regions surrounding the Alps. The number of cells mainly increased during the Late Neolithic (3300 to 2300 cal. BC) and, finally, in the Late Bronze Age (ca. 1050-800 cal. BC), larger, morphologically domesticated seeds are clearly predominant. A change in the shape of the seeds is only clearly visible in the LBA material. Altogether our results suggest that opium poppy seeds show no sign of domestication in the
The Neolithic of Europe
Alasdair Whittle's work on Neolithic Europe has resisted characterisation of early farming as... more Alasdair Whittle's work on Neolithic Europe has resisted characterisation of early farming as monolithic, conservative and unchanging, highlighting instead its mutability and fundamentally social nature. His research also pays close attention to the importance of chronology for understanding the pace and rhythm of social processes during the Neolithic. In this paper we assess the potential of archaeobotanical and fauna data for investigating the creation and contingency of Neolithic landscapes in the western loess belt and Alpine foreland. Drawing on contrasting landscapes and settlement types that lend themselves to different forms of bioarchaeological and chronological inference, we argue that ‘dryland’ loess and ‘wetland’ lakeshore sequences offer complementary perspectives on broad social processes of adjustment to the ecological potentials and constraints of small-scale farming and herding
Les Bagnoles à L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, 2020
Untersuchung von Pflanzenresten aus archaologischen Grabungen in der Region Basel Ostfrankreich -... more Untersuchung von Pflanzenresten aus archaologischen Grabungen in der Region Basel Ostfrankreich - Nordwestschweiz - Suddeutschland - Oberrhein - Geschichte der Pflanzennutzung - Vegetation
... In grossen Höhen wird Sommergerste gebaut: nach Candrian (1928, 27) wurde ob Samedan (Obereng... more ... In grossen Höhen wird Sommergerste gebaut: nach Candrian (1928, 27) wurde ob Samedan (Oberengadin) in der Flur San Peder (1750-1850 m ü.M.) zwischen" 1914 und 1918 mehrzellige Sommergerste anfangs Juni gesät; am 22. ...
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2022
Zurich-Parkhaus Opera ubertrifft vergleichbare Fundstellen deutlich an Flache und Fundmenge und e... more Zurich-Parkhaus Opera ubertrifft vergleichbare Fundstellen deutlich an Flache und Fundmenge und erlaubt dank der Reprasentativitat und hohen Datendichte Einblicke in die Gesellschaft, Wirtschaft und Umwelt der damaligen Bevolkerung. Der vorliegende Band prasentiert die Ergebnisse der naturwissenschaftlichen Analysen – erstmals in der Feuchtbodenarchaologie unter Einbezug der Chironomiden- und Cladocerenfossilien sowie ausfuhrlicherer Mykologie – und fuhrt die Erkenntnisse der gesamten Auswertung dieser vor allem horgenzeitlichen Fundstelle in einer Synthese zusammen. Die taphonomischen Resultate aller Disziplinen belegen, dass die Ablagerung der Kulturschichten auf dem grossten Teil der Grabungsflache ganzjahrig unter Wasser erfolgte. Die archaobiologischen Ergebnisse bestatigen die eminente wirtschaftliche Bedeutung von Getreide und Rindern, zeigen aber auch, dass die Rolle von Erbsen und Sammelpflanzen bislang unterschatzt wurde. Pollenuntersuchungen, Dendrotypologie und Archaobot...
Zurich-Parkhaus Opera ubertrifft vergleichbare Fundstellen deutlich an Flache und Fundmenge und e... more Zurich-Parkhaus Opera ubertrifft vergleichbare Fundstellen deutlich an Flache und Fundmenge und erlaubt dank der Reprasentativitat und hohen Datendichte Einblicke in die Gesellschaft, Wirtschaft und Umwelt der damaligen Bevolkerung. Der vorliegende Band prasentiert die Ergebnisse der naturwissenschaftlichen Analysen – erstmals in der Feuchtbodenarchaologie unter Einbezug der Chironomiden- und Cladocerenfossilien sowie ausfuhrlicherer Mykologie – und fuhrt die Erkenntnisse der gesamten Auswertung dieser vor allem horgenzeitlichen Fundstelle in einer Synthese zusammen. Die taphonomischen Resultate aller Disziplinen belegen, dass die Ablagerung der Kulturschichten auf dem grossten Teil der Grabungsflache ganzjahrig unter Wasser erfolgte. Die archaobiologischen Ergebnisse bestatigen die eminente wirtschaftliche Bedeutung von Getreide und Rindern, zeigen aber auch, dass die Rolle von Erbsen und Sammelpflanzen bislang unterschatzt wurde. Pollenuntersuchungen, Dendrotypologie und Archaobot...
Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, 2017
Layer taphonomy is one of the major questions in the archaeological research of lakeshore settlem... more Layer taphonomy is one of the major questions in the archaeological research of lakeshore settlements. How fast did these deposits develop? Were they exposed to periodic droughts and decay? Which amount of the originally deposited remains survived until present? Plant macroremains have a great potential as indicators of preservation quality, since they are short-lived and particularly sensible to changes in preservation conditions. This paper reviews previous attempts to use similar proxies to understand layer taphonomy and provides a compilation of almost 50 variables (that include plant macroremains and other remains found in sediment samples) as indicators for preservation quality. Two late Neolithic lakeshore sites located in Central Switzerland were used as tests and more than 100 samples per site were investigated. Samples were grouped into meaningful groups (according to sediment type or their location in the stratigraphy, etc.) and ubiquities were calculated for each variable in each group of samples. Correspondence Analysis was applied in order to establish connections between groups of variables and groups of samples. GIS was used in one of the cases to look at preservation at a site scale. The method proved to be useful and differences in preservation conditions were observed in both sites, not only regarding the location of the samples in the stratigraphy and in relation to their proximity to the lake, but also in connection to sediment type. It is suggested that such studies are necessary before any palaeoeconomic analysis is undertaken.
Quaternary International, 2017
Corrigendum to "Quantitative approximation to large-seeded wild fruit use in a late Neolithic lak... more Corrigendum to "Quantitative approximation to large-seeded wild fruit use in a late Neolithic lake dwelling: new results from the case study of layer 13 of Parkhaus Op era in Zürich (Central Switzerland)" [Quat. Int. 404 (2016) 56e68]
Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, 2016
Prehistoric crop husbandry Á Wetland settlements Á Land use Á Agent-based model (ABM) Á Crop grow... more Prehistoric crop husbandry Á Wetland settlements Á Land use Á Agent-based model (ABM) Á Crop growth model Communicated by F. Bittmann.
The Holocene, 2016
This article brings together in a comprehensive way, and for the first time, on- and off-site pal... more This article brings together in a comprehensive way, and for the first time, on- and off-site palaeoenvironmental data from the area of the Central European lake dwellings (a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site since 2011). The types of data considered are as follows: high-resolution off-site pollen cores, including micro-charcoal counts, and on-site data, including botanical macro- and micro-remains, hand-collected animal bones, remains of microfauna, and data on woodland management (dendrotypology). The period considered is the late Neolithic (c. 4300–2400 cal. BC). For this period, especially for its earlier phases, discussions of land-use patterns are contradictory. Based on off-site data, slash-and-burn – as known from tropical regions – is thought to be the only possible way to cultivate the land. On-site data however show a completely different picture: all indications point to the permanent cultivation of cereals ( Triticum spp., Hordeum vulgare), pea ( Pisum sativum), flax ...
Les Bagnoles à L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, 2020
dir.), Fonctions, utilisations et représentations de l'espace dans les sépultures monumentales du... more dir.), Fonctions, utilisations et représentations de l'espace dans les sépultures monumentales du Néolithique européen / Functions, uses and representations of space in the monumental graves of Neolithic Europe, Presses universitaires de Provence,
PLOS ONE, Sep 28, 2022
The excellent preservation of the waterlogged botanical remains of the multiphase Neolithic pile-... more The excellent preservation of the waterlogged botanical remains of the multiphase Neolithic pile-dwelling site of Zug-Riedmatt (Central Switzerland) yielded an ideal dataset to delve into the issue of plant economy of a community spanning several decades. The study identified a major change in crops where oil plants played a key role in the site's initial phase before being supplanted over the course of a few decades by naked wheat, barley and pea. Wild plants continued to be gathered albeit in different proportions. In the latest settlement phase, the changes in the local vegetation and in the values of the analyses of carbon stable isotopes suggest a less humid environment. The hypothesis is that the changes perceived in the plant economy represent a resilience strategy adopted by the inhabitants in reaction to short term local climatic alterations. The two types of soil sampling techniques (monolith and bulk) allowed comparing these results. While the density of plant remains appears to be underestimated among the samples collected by the monolith technique, the proportions of economic taxa remain unaffected. The findings thus reveal that when the bulk samplings are distributed carefully throughout multiphase sites and avoid mixing stratigraphical units, and if the samplings are representative of all archaeological features from a whole area, then each of the two techniques offer analogous results.
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Papers by Stefanie Jacomet
Some systematic differences between sievers were found in the larger fractions (≥ 2 mm), namely the varying presence of small remains. This problem can be avoided if detailed instructions are given to the sievers and guidelines for counting remains are used during analysis. In the small fraction (> 0.35 mm), differences between sievers were not substantial anymore. In addition to differences caused by the sieving technique we could also show that the patchy pattern of clumpy waterlogged sediments complicates a statistically relevant subsampling. We can state that only large differences between samples should be interpreted in palaeoeconomic terms, but that it is no disadvantage if several sievers work on the same project.
It is our purpose to raise awareness of the fact that the methodology has a strong impact on the results obtained and should therefore always be revealed on a detailed level, especially if data from one site will later be used for comparisons with other sites.
The consistency of the wash-over sieving process done by different operators was looked at, revealing that there were some systematic differences present in the large fraction of the tested samples due to the techniques of the sievers. However, with counting guidelines and detailed instructions, it is no disadvantage to have different sievers in one project.
The subsampling process was also looked at in detail. Due to the clumpy distribution of remains in waterlogged sediments, square subsampling (sampling of sediment from two grids of a sample) was less suitable than systematic grid subsampling (sampling of a portion out of every grid of a sample). We could also determine what amount of remains had to be counted in order to have a good representation of a waterlogged sample in terms of proportions and diversity.
Different volume measurement techniques (classical before and after freezing and displacement) were compared and a systematic difference was found. However, with the use of a proportionality factor of 1.5, the different techniques can easily be compared.
The description of preservation parameters in wetland settlements was often done, but rarely evaluated in a systematic way. Indicators for presence or absence of processes of erosion and corrosion were defined and a methodology for their efficient recording was developed and used for the reconstruction of the taphonomic history of layers.
Methodology can have a large impact on archaeobotanical data and should therefore always be disclosed at a detailed level. Our research will help to standardise some common methods used in the archaeobotanical analysis of waterlogged sediments, and thus hopefully eliminate a potential source of error.
Wash-over sieving is the only sieving method which does not impact fragile archaeobotanical material (Hosch and Zibulski 2003, Zibulski 2010). We present in this movie the general handling of archaeobotanical samples and all necessary steps of the wash-over sieving in order to extract archaeobotanical remains (and also inorganic remains like bones and archaeological artifacts) from an archaeological sample. The most optimal procedure is shown.
On request, we can provide the cited literature as well as instructions for a do-it-yourself sieving station for the field and we will answer questions: [email protected]