Sorghum and finger millet cultivation during the Aksumite period: insights from ethnoarchaeological modelling and microbotanical analysis

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• dc.contributor.author Ruiz-Giralt, Abel
• dc.contributor.author Beldados, Alemseged
• dc.contributor.author Biagetti, Stefano
• dc.contributor.author D'Agostini, Francesca
• dc.contributor.author D’Andrea, A. Catherine
• dc.contributor.author Meresa, Yemane
• dc.contributor.author Lancelotti, Carla
• dc.date.accessioned 2024-01-12T07:43:28Z
• dc.date.available 2024-01-12T07:43:28Z
• dc.date.issued 2023
• dc.description.abstract Cross-cultural models are a useful tool to generate hypotheses about the past using ethnographic data, especially when they can be validated against the archaeological record. In this paper, we propose the use of computer modelling techniques to gain insights into the agricultural history in the northern Horn of Africa of two key staple crops, i.e. finger millet (Eleusine coracana) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor). To date, our understanding of the role of these cereals in the past economies of the region has been hindered by preservation issues and the limited number of systematic archaeobotanical research programs. By building predictive models that combine published ethnographic literature and environmental datasets on a global level, we can generate hypotheses about past agricultural systems in the northern Horn. The ability of the models to predict local agricultural practices in the area was tested against ethnoarchaeological observations in Gulo Makeda (Tigrai, Ethiopia). Archaeobotanical data from an archaeological site in the area, i.e. Ona Adi (ca. 750 BCE – CE 700), was used to assess the model’s predictions when applied to the archaeological record. According to our results, the rainfed agriculture of finger millet and sorghum was already in place during the Aksumite period (ca. 50 BCE – CE 800) around the main centres of settlement articulation. These results are supported by the phytolith assemblage from Ona Adi, which records the presence of water-stressed Chloridoideae and Panicoideae grasses throughout the occupation of the site.
• dc.description.sponsorship This research has been developed as part of the RAINDROPS Research Project, funded by the European Research Council (ERC) under the Horizon 2020 framework (ERC-Stg 759800). Ona Adi was excavated as part of the Eastern Tigrai Archaeological Project (ETAP), funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC Insight Grant #435-2014-0182 and Partnership Development Grant #890-215-003). We are also grateful for the participation of the Ethiopian Authority for Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritage (ARCCH) and the Tigrai Tourism and Cultural Commission (TCTB).
• dc.format.mimetype application/pdf
• dc.identifier.citation Ruiz-Giralt A, Beldados A, Biagetti S, D’Agostini F, D’Andrea AC, Meresa Y, Lancelotti C. Sorghum and finger millet cultivation during the Aksumite period: insights from ethnoarchaeological modelling and microbotanical analysis. Journal of Computer Applications in Archaeology. 2023;6(1):96-116. DOI: 10.5334/jcaa.132
• dc.identifier.doi http://dx.doi.org/10.5334/jcaa.132
• dc.identifier.issn 2514-8362
• dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/10230/58669
• dc.language.iso eng
• dc.publisher Ubiquity Press
• dc.relation.ispartof Journal of Computer Applications in Archaeology. 2023;6(1):96-116
• dc.relation.isreferencedby https://zenodo.org/records/8269343
• dc.relation.projectID info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/H2020/759800
• dc.rights © 2023 The Author(s). This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. See http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
• dc.rights.accessRights info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
• dc.rights.uri http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• dc.subject.keyword C4 agriculture
• dc.subject.keyword Cross-cultural modelling
• dc.subject.keyword Ethnoarchaeology
• dc.subject.keyword Phytoliths
• dc.subject.keyword Kingdom of Aksum
• dc.subject.keyword Horn of Africa
• dc.title Sorghum and finger millet cultivation during the Aksumite period: insights from ethnoarchaeological modelling and microbotanical analysis
• dc.type info:eu-repo/semantics/article
• dc.type.version info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion