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Decayed wood occurs relatively frequently in charcoal assemblages from Iron Age sites in northwest Iberia, and the presence of fungal hyphae and wood-borer galleries has been identified in charred wood remains from different kinds of archaeological contexts. This study analysed the evidence of decayed wood, as a result of fungal and insect attack, including the affected taxa and other dendrological attributes, their association with firewood remains or evidence of wooden crafts and other contextual evidence, from nine Iron Age sites. The data available to date indicate that Corylus avellana, Quercus sp. deciduous, Alnus sp. and Fabaceae have been affected the most by the action of fungus and wood-borers, and evidence of xylophagous activity is correlated with the occurrence of fire events and/or the presence of worked wood. This paper highlights the potential of combining taxonomical identification with taphonomical and dendrological attributes to understand the processes of wood degradation in archaeological contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some of the earliest Western European macroremains of rye (Secale cereale) have been recently recovered in Northwest Iberia. However, the chronological and cultural contexts of these remains have not been yet exhaustively analysed. To address this gap of research, previous and unpublished assemblages have been reviewed and analysed through an analytical set of methods: biometry, radiocarbon dates and integrating the remains of rye in the broad archaeobotanical record of the region. Results show the earliest macroremains of rye in the Iberian Peninsula date to a period between the 3rd century and the first half of the 1st century BCE. Rye was usually found in assemblages dominated by spelt and other cereals, in whose fields it was likely acting as a weed. There is no record of rye for about the two following centuries, after which it is probably reintroduced, now as a crop. It is found in several sites from the 3rd-4th centuries CE onwards, suggesting it is a staple crop as in other regions in Europe. Significant differences in grain size are only recorded in a 10th-11th century settlement, suggesting few changes in grain morphometry before Medieval times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Waterlogged woodcrafts and other plant remains were recovered at 65 Arcebispo Malvar Street (Pontevedra, Spain) from contexts from the 13th to 19th centuries AD, although most of the artefacts were concentrated in accumulations of organic remains dating to the 15th century AD. The site is located close to the Pontevedra's harbour and wooden dock. Plant-based crafts and other organic remains were classified into five groups: timbers, containers, personal items, fishing implements, and miscellaneous artefacts. The great majority of items are related to timber building or even shipbuilding, including planks, beams, posts, stakes, pegs, trenails and wedges. Other objects, such as a plate/lid, a basket, a cup, stave-built containers, and combs, provide information about day-to-day life, trade, fishing activities, etc. The timber assemblage offers a unique opportunity to expand our knowledge about wood-working techniques and the selection of raw materials from the Middle Ages onwards, complementing the information already known from written sources. In addition, the identification of an oar made of Fagus sylvatica verifies the written evidence of their importation from other areas of the Iberian Peninsula, while the identification of a cup made from a coconut shell suggests the arrival of objects from tropical areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existence of a fire event at the Iron Age hillfort of Nabás, which is located on the southern bank of the Ría de Vigo (Galicia, NW of the Iberian Peninsula), favoured an extraordinary preservation of carbonised plant remains and offered an unusual opportunity to focus our research on the study of the final episode of a house life-cycle. The archaeobotanical approach focused on perishable materials combining charcoal, with carpology and pollen analysis, in tandem with a taphonomic assessment. The charcoal assemblage includes charcoal without signs of working, and wooden manufactures although the former group was probably related to the roof and timber of the round-house. This interpretation is based on the size and concentration of charcoal fragments, as well as the short taxonomic list (deciduous and evergreen Quercus sp., Fabaceae, Corylus avellana, Rosaceae/Maloideae, Salix/Populus, Alnus sp., Frangula alnus, Betula sp., Phragmites/Arundo and Ulmus sp.), and the recurrence of biological alterations such as xylophages' galleries and hyphae. Aggregated grains and chaff of foxtail millet (Setaria italica) were found in several samples suggesting their storage, probably inside an organic container. Finally, pollen analysis offered clues about the uses of plants such as Ericaceae during the occupation phase of the round-house. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]