Archaeobotanical macro remains from Late Bronze Age Kinet Höyük and Tell Atchana (Alalakh) in southern Turkey: Economical and Environmental Considerations

Abstract

The geographical locations of Tell Atchana and Kinet Höyük between the Eastern Mediterranean region, North-Syria and South-Anatolia define them as a focal point of cultural and economic relations between these regions. One of the aims of this archaeobotanical study, which is based on the plant macro-remains from Kinet Höyük and Tell Atchana, is to contribute to the knowledge of the economic position of these settlements during the Late Bronze Age. It is of interest under which conditions the crops were grown, which general agricultural techniques were used, (e.g. soil management, fallowing etc.) as well as how and where crop-processing and storage were conducted within both settlements and how they compare to other relevant sites in the area. The main socio-economic question of this archaeobotanical study is whether crops were primarily brought to Tell Atchana and Kinet Höyük from neighbouring regions with trade relations or grown in their immediate vicinities by the inhabitants themselves or farmers from surrounding villages. The environment and its development under anthropogenic influence and natural factors is also focus of this investigation, as it defines the possibilities of cultural developments of Tell Atchana and Kinet Höyük during Late Bronze Age. In order to answer the mentioned questions, 33 samples from Kinet Höyük and 35 samples from Tell Atchana were studied. About 3350 seeds and fruits were identified, counted and grouped into 77 categories, which include plant species or types belonging to 20 families. Statistical analysis indicates that the organisation of agriculture in the stratified society of Tell Atchana, as far as plant production is concerned, is similar to north-eastern Syrian sites. Tell Atchana probably imported surplus food from surrounding villages and supported large-scale, but also small-scale specialised crop production. In Late Bronze Age Kinet Höyük there is evidence for intensification in large-scale agriculture, with a broad spectrum of crop plants, as a kind of risk-buffering. The spectrum of crops and wild species of Late Bronze Kinet Höyük and Tell Atchana reflects agricultural characteristics of the eastern Mediterranean cultures.