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One Sea but many Routes to Sail. The early maritime dispersal of Neolithic crops from the Aegean to the western Mediterranean

Accepted version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

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Authors

Vander Linden, Marc  ORCID logo  https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0120-7754
de Vareilles, Anne 
Bouby, Laurent 
Jesus, Ana 
Martin, Lucie 

Abstract

This paper explores the first maritime westward expansion of crops across the Adriatic and the northern coast of the western Mediterranean. Starting in Greece at c.6500 cal BC and following the coastline to the Andalusian region of Spain at c.4500 cal BC, the presence of the main cereal, pulse, oil and fibre crops are recorded from 122 sites. Patterns in the distribution of crops are explored through ubiquity scores, correspondence analysis and Simpson's diversity index. Our findings reveal changes in the frequencies of crops as farming regimes developed into Europe, and show how different crops followed unique trajectories. Fluctuations in the diversity of the crop spectrum between defined areas are also evident, and may serve to illustrate how founder effects can explain some of the patterns evident in large-scale spatio-temporal evaluations. Within the broader westward expansion of farming, regionalism and multi-directional maritime networks described through archaeological materials are also visible in the botanical records

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Keywords

Journal Title

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

2352-409X

Volume Title

Publisher

Elsevier

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Sponsorship
ERc Consolidator Grant StG-313716