Laura Berrio

Between 1986 and 1988, excavation of an LBK settlement at Marainville-sur-Madon (Lorraine, France) uncovered five different buildings and a small group of graves. Architectural and pottery studies underlined the fact that in all likelihood the buildings were not contemporary. It is thought that the LBK occupation consisted of a single building that was replaced or reconstructed at least four times.
The site of Marainville was systematically sampled for archaeobotanical analysis. A total of 22 078 charred macro-botanical remains were obtained from 109 samples, representing 354.5 litres of sediment and deriving mainly from the central postholes of the buildings and from some associated pits.
On the scale of the domestic unit, spatial analysis of the density of charred seeds per litre and of the taxa suggests a heterogeneous distribution of the data. The aim of this paper is to propose a model for the internal organization of domestic space, based on the archaeobotanical evidence: a vestibule occupying the southeast area, providing access to the domestic activity zone; a culinary preparation area in the central part of the house; and a pulses and cereals temporary storage zone, positioned northwest at the rear of the house.

""The first evidence of naked wheats in the Neolitic of Eastern France is deriving from the LBK site of Marainville-sur-Madon (Vosges, Lorraine), excavated between 1986 and 1988. This settlement is one of two known Early Neolithic sites in the valley of the small river Madon in southern Lorraine, forming a small local group. This group has no direct settlement links with the contemporary Moselle group, evidenced by more than 70 known settlements between Metz and Trier (Germany). The settlement of Marainville-sur-Madon consists of 5 different buildings, which most likely were not contemporary. The occupation phase Marainville-1 with the houses M5 and M1 is attributed to the Late LBK. The houses M2 and M4 (occupation phase Marainville-2) are dated to the Final LBK. The site of Marainville-sur-Madon was sampled systematically for archaeobotanical analysis.
Marainville-sur-Madon is the only LBK site of Eastern France which has revealed a considerable amount of naked wheat and naked barley. These results are outstanding for the LBK in Eastern France and they may already present the agricultural change towards the Blicquy-Villeneuve-Saint-Germain group in Northern France and the Middle Neolithic of the Grossgartach group and the Roessen culture in Eastern France, where the cultivation of naked wheat gained considerably importance.
The aim of this paper is to present the outstanding results of the occurrence of naked wheat at Marainville-sur-Madon, to compare the results with other LBK sites of Eastern France and to focus on the diffusion of naked wheats during the Early, Middle and Final Neolithic of this region. This key region is placed between the Paris Basin and the Neolithic groups of the Rhine plain in the East. Access to the south is given by the Saône-Rhone river system and its tributaries, but there is still a huge geographical gap to the northernmost settlement of the Early Neolithic of Mediterranean type (Cardial culture). The cultural implications of the first occurrence of naked wheat and its later diffusion are still subject of engaged discussions and at least two different models can be proposed.""

""    Entre 1986 et 1988, cinq bâtiments datés du Néolithique ancien ont été fouillés à Marainville-sur-Madon. Grâce à la continuité d’occupation du site au cours du Rubané, cette étude carpologique porte une vision diachronique de l’agriculture et l’alimentation végétale.
    Les fosses et les trous de poteau de quatre de ces bâtiments, fouillés sous la direction de Vincent Blouet (SRA Lorraine), ont été prélevés systématiquement. Au total 354,5 litres de sédiment, en provenance de 109 structures, ont été traités. L’étude a révélé la prédominance de l’amidonnier (Triticum dicoccon) et du pois (Pisum sativum). D’autres espèces telles que l’engrain (Triticum monococcum) et la lentille (Lens culinaris) sont présentes de manière plus sporadique. Il est à noter la présence d’une espèce peu fréquente, l’orge polystique nue (Hordeum vulgare var. nudum), ainsi que d’une espèce exceptionnelle, le blé nu (Triticum aestivum s.l./durum/turgidum) en contexte rubané à l’ouest du Rhin. Sa présence non négligeable à Marainville-sur-Madon ouvre la question relative à son acquisition et à sa consommation, plus précoce que ce qui avait été jusqu’alors proposé.
    Cette communication a pour objectif de présenter les résultats carpologiques obtenus sur ce site, ainsi que de montrer l’apport de l’analyse spatiale des données carpologiques à la compréhension des espaces fonctionnels des unités domestiques rubanées.
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