Different manifestations of Neolithization in Northwest Anatolia? An archaeobotanical reviewfrom Barcin Höyük and Bahçelievler, Turkey

Abstract

The Neolithic way of life was first established in Northwest Anatolia before the middle of the 7th millennium BC. The recently excavated sites of Barcin Höyük and Bahçelievler have yielded archaeological evidence for the earliest Neolithic levels in the region and provide new archaeobotanical datasets. To compare different adaptations to the changes brought on by the Neolithization processes, we studied 348 archaeobotanical samples from Phases VIe and VId1 at Barcin and 63 samples from the contemporaneous levels, Phase 6 and Phase 5, at Bahçelievler. The economic plants include hulled and naked six-row barley, einkorn, emmer, bread/hard wheat, small-sized naked wheat, lentil, bitter vetch, pea, chickpea, flax, hazelnut, bramble, and pistacia. Our analyses show small but significant differences between the sites in the selected economic plant ranges, among the cereals, pulses as well as gathered plants. © 2022 Authors. All rights reserved.