Ricerc@Sapienza

Archaeobotany is the discipline that merges botany with archaeology. It is based on the study of plant fossils
found in archaeological contexts with the aim to reconstruct plant use and diets of ancient populations, as
well as the environment and the climate of the past, focusing on how people have adapted to them and
reacted to their changes. Plant fossils include seeds and fruits (carpology), wood and charcoals (xylology and
anthracology) and pollen (palynology).

Charred botanical finds from the excavation of the Early Bronze Age city of Jericho (Tell es-Sultan), one of the earliest urban centers of 3rd millennium BC Palestine, were collected during the 2015-2017 excavation seasons carried out by Sapienza University of Rome and the Palestinian MoTA-DACH. Among other plant macro-remains, a round fruit was found in the subsidiary room behind the throne room of Royal Palace G, next to a vase, in the burnt filling overlying the platform.