Marisia - Maros Megyei Múzeum Évkönyve 30/1. (2010)
Articles
214 В. Ciutä The identification analysis of the vegetal macro-remains showed that the most dominant species that appeared within the 38 samples that we had was Triticum aestivum (an approximate value of 70%), followed by Pisum sativum (15%) and Secale cereale (10%). Very rarely we have encountered seeds of Triticum monococcum and Hordeum vulgare species (0.5%) (Fig. 1). As for fruit species, the presence of Prunus sp4 was confirmed. Fig. 1. The shares of different plants gathered in the campaign of 2007. Triticum aestivum is a species of hexaploid wheat, which had evolved through selective growing from its domestic ancestor, the tetraploid wheat, T. turgidum (Fig. 2a). Unlike diploid and tetraploid wheat, this one does not have a wild hexaploid equivalent / pair. Studies of the genomic analysis have shown that T. aestivum is a product of hybridization between a tetraploid wheat like turgidum (AABB genomic constitution) and a wild diploid type of grass, Aegilops squoarrosaL. = Ae. tauschii Coss. (DD genomic constitution). In other words, the hexaploid bread wheat was formed by adding a third genome, besides the already existing two in T turgidum. Secale cereale is a characteristic grain harvest within the temperate areas (Fig. 2b). It is particularly appreciated in northern and Eastern Europe, due to its winter and drought resistance and ability to grow on acidic, sandy soils. This way it manages to survive in situations where wheat frequently fails to grow. Rye grains contain significant quantities of protein and “rye bread” can baked of a dark colour; in the present times the baking quality of rye flour is now lower than that of wheat. A large quantity of the world’s rye production is consumed as rye bread; grains are also used as high energy food and for the preparation of rye whiskey. The green plants are widely used as food for domestic animals. Unlike most grain crops that are self-pollinating, rye is a crosspollinating plant. The rye species that are grown belong to some small types of grass plants. The most recent classifications recognize three biological species within this genus. All are diploids with 2n = 14 chromosomes. Other intrusions occurring in small quantities in our samples belong to the wheat species Triticum monococcum and the barley species Hordeum vulgare. According to written sources from the Middle Ages, Triticum monococcum was grown in small amounts in order to compensate for possible losses of the crop in the event of unfavourable weather. This is the reason why we find it in many situations in archaeological contexts belonging to this period. Although einkorn type wheat has a slow growing rate, thus allowing the crop to be invaded by weeds, it is also the most cold resistant in the winter season. 4 For a detailed analysis of the proportion of species within each sample, see Table 1.
