Fireside Stories: Archaeobotanical Investigation of Bronze Age Combustion Features at Sovjan, Albania

Archaeobotanical remains associated with combustion features can provide abundant information about ancient diet, resource preparation and use, and environmental conditions. Spatially intensive sampling of Middle and Late Bronze Age (ca. 2600 – 1200 B.C.) hearths and ovens from the lakeside settlement of Sovjan, in southeastern Albania, provide a rich dataset for investigating these issues. Recovered macroremains include both domesticated and wild taxa, represented by seeds, wood, and chaff elements. Cultivated crops include Panicum miliaceum (millet), Hordeum vulgare (hulled barley), Triticum monococcum (einkorn wheat), T. dicoccum (emmer wheat), Lens culinaris (lentil), and Pisum sativum (pea). Analysis suggests functional differences in the use of open hearths and ovens, changes in resource use over time, the existence of a suite of preferred food combinations, and preferential exploitation of riparian forest habitats for the collection of wood for fuel. In addition, differences in the presence of cereal chaff and grain within these features suggest shifts in socioeconomic organization within the community at this time.