Foodways, Plant Management and Environment in the Western Roman Provinces: An Archaeobotanical Approach Using as a Case Study the Site of Iesso, Spain

Abstract

Waterlogged preservation is rare in the Mediterranean, but when present, it enables the recovery of a particularly wide variety of plants. The Roman site of Guissona (Iesso, Catalonia, Spain) is one of the very few sites in the Iberian Peninsula with such conditions. This study focuses on waterlogged archaeobotanical material from four wells excavated at Guissona, dating from the mid-1st century BCE to the late 2nd/early 3rd century CE, and a few available dry samples. The spatial and temporal analysis of the material provided useful insights into the local environment and food plant practices across the site. The assemblage included a wide variety of wild plants that allowed reconstruction of the site's natural environment, while their potential involvement in everyday life was explored. The study also identified a wide range of food crops, many of which were Roman imports, reflecting trade links. Notably, seeds of bottle gourd, rye, and coriander are among the earliest found in Spain. The rich assemblage finally sheds light on arboriculture, viticulture, and horticulture at the site. Ultimately, this study illuminates how people in this western province of the Roman empire engaged and intertwined in their everyday life the local environment within the broader, ‘global’ Roman world.