What about Fruit tree cultivation on the semi-arid slopes of the Anti-Atlas during the Middle Ages? Archaeobotanical data from the almohad period at Igiliz

International audienceThe Îgîlîz mountain fortress located at 1350 m altitude in the Anti Atlas is excavated by a Moroccan-French cooperation since 2009. The main phases of occupation date from the 11th-13th centuries. During this period, it was the place of residence of a group of devotees under the military and religious authority of Mahdi Ibn Tumart, at the origin of the Almohad Islamic movement. The archaeobotanical results from the analysis of dry subfossil woods, charcoal, fruits and seeds show the consumption of a broad spectrum of cultivated plants composed of cereals, legumes and fruit trees. Beside Argania spinosa, the predominant species in the archaeobotanical records, a total of 10 fruit species were recorded: Phoenix dactylifera, Ficus carica, Vitis and Ziziphus spp. attested both by woods and seeds. Only seeds attest Ceratonia siliqua, Ziziphus lotus, Ziziphus ziziphus and Punica granatum, while only charcoal fragments attest Olea europaea. This diversity is unexpected in a mountainous and semi-arid environment not very favourable to the exploitation of plant resources, which require a regular supply of water. The main objective of this paper will be to comment on the spatial distribution of fruit trees remains in the contexts of occupation, on the nature of the waste and to discuss the practices and places of their exploitation