Archaeobotanical investigations at high-elevation sites of the Pamir Mountains and fergana foothills

TL;DR

This study explores ancient plant use in Central Asia's highlands, revealing early crop cultivation and foraging patterns.

Contribution

The study provides new evidence of crop dispersal and subsistence strategies in high-elevation Central Asia.

Findings

Cultivation of broomcorn millet, wheat, and barley in the montane zone by 2000 BCE

Findings of walnut and pistachio nut shells indicate the foraging of nuts from 5700 BCE

Identification of preferred fuel sources in lowland and high-elevated sites

Abstract

Central Asia, located at the crossroads of Eurasia, played a crucial role in the prehistoric spread of cultivated plants. Archaeobotanical evidence from rockshelters in the Fergana foothills and the Pamir Mountains reveals exchange between lowland and highland zones. Radiocarbon dating shows that broomcorn millet reached the lowlands of northern Central Asia by the late third millennium BCE and foxtail millet by the early second millennium BCE. Walnut and pistachio remains from the Fergana Valley indicate nut foraging as early as 7,800 years ago. The high-altitude site of Kurteke demonstrates cultural and economic links with lowland areas through shared technologies, while its plant assemblage differs from contemporaneous Tien Shan sites, suggesting distinct subsistence strategies. This study identifies early cultivation and foraging patterns along mountain ecoclines and proposes likely routes of crop dispersal across high-elevation Inner Asia, helping fill major gaps in the chronology of prehistoric trans-Eurasian agricultural exchange.

•Cultivation of broomcorn millet, wheat, and barley in the montane zone by 2000 BCE•Findings of walnut and pistachio nut shells indicate the foraging of nuts from 5700 BCE•Identification of preferred fuel sources in lowland and high-elevated sites

Cultivation of broomcorn millet, wheat, and barley in the montane zone by 2000 BCE

Findings of walnut and pistachio nut shells indicate the foraging of nuts from 5700 BCE

Identification of preferred fuel sources in lowland and high-elevated sites

Paleobiology; Archeology

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