Evaluating prehistoric finds of Arrhenatherum elatius var. bulbosum in north-western and central Europe with an emphasis
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REVIEW
Evaluating prehistoric finds of Arrhenatherum elatius var. bulbosum in north-western and central Europe with an emphasis on the first Neolithic finds in Northern Germany Henrike Roehrs & Stefanie Klooss & Wiebke Kirleis
Received: 9 August 2012 / Accepted: 16 October 2012 / Published online: 26 October 2012 # Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2012
Abstract The swollen basal internodes of the grass species Arrhenatherum elatius var. bulbosum (tuber oat grass) are recorded here for the first time for Neolithic Germany. These charred bulbs occurred in the Late Neolithic soil mantle of the megalithic tomb of Albersdorf-Brutkamp LA 5. They are interpreted as most probably originating from the natural vegetation on and around the grave mound. The bulbs were possibly charred in the course of a ritual fire. However, their use as gathered plants and their intentional deposition in a secondary burial ritual during the Late Neolithic cannot be excluded with any certainty. Identification criteria for Arrhenatherum bulbs as well as the ecological requirements of the species are introduced here. Furthermore, prehistoric bulb finds from north-western and central Europe, and different interpretations concerning the occurrence of Arrhenatherum in different archaeological contexts, are discussed. The compilation of finds from literature and excavation reports shows that bulbs of Arrhenatherum were found rather infrequently in the Neolithic. Most commonly, charred bulbs of A. elatius var. bulbosum are detected in Bronze Age cremation graves. In the Iron Age, however, they mainly occur in domestic sites. This shows that the interpretation of the plant remains is dependent on their archaeological context. A ritual meaning of the bulbs has to be considered in the interpretation, but they may also have contributed to people’s daily diet. This evaluation of bulb finds in prehistoric and historic contexts contributes to
H. Roehrs : S. Klooss (*) : W. Kirleis Institute for Prehistoric and Protohistoric Archaeology, Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel, Johanna-Mestorf-Straße 2-6, 24098 Kiel, Germany e-mail: [email protected]
the debate on the relevance of plant gathering in early economies and in ritual activities. Keywords Arrhenatherum elatius var. bulbosum . Bronze Age . Late Neolithic . Northern Germany
Introduction In archaeobotanical research on plant macro-remains, seeds and fruits are commonly the focus of investigation, as they appear prevalently and are easy to determine. However, in some cases, the vegetative parts of plants are also preserved in a charred condition and can thus be categorized. Research has been conducted with a focus on the determinability of vegetative parenchymatous organs like roots, tubers, corms, rhizomes and bulbs (e.g. Hather 1991, 1993; KubiakMartens 2002). Tuber oat grass (Arrhenatherum elatius var. bulbosum [(L.) P. Beauv. ex J. Presl & C. Presl] (after Erhardt et al. 2002), for example, shows swollen basal internodes that feature distinct characteristics for determination. These bulbs
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