Food production and consumption in the Byzantine Empire in light of the archaeobotanical finds

Much concerning food production and consumption is known from historical sources. But research on these subjects requires the archaeobotanical investigation of plant macro-remains, as plants were a major part of human everyday life. The study of plant remains can provide direct evidence for the species used in food production and consumption. The results from more than 50 investigated sites covering the entire Byzantine period (395-1453 AD) are included in an overview of the archaeobotanical evidence for important crops in nutrition and agriculture. The investigation focuses on the plant macro-remains: seeds and fruits of cultivated cereals, pulses, oil and fibre plants as well as cultivated and imported fruits, nuts, vegetables and spices. The aim is to learn which crops were cultivated and which were economically significant in the different regions of the Empire from the Early to the Late Byzantine periods. Cereals in particular provide by far the largest database and the best results. The non-cereal species are in general less well preserved but also provide interesting evidence on production, consumption and trade