Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208.
Department of History, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA 23185.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2024 Sep 10;121(37):e2403256121. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2403256121. Epub 2024 Aug 26.
This study reports the earliest directly dated occurrence of archaeological wheat and cotton in the humid forests of West Africa. These are the first archaeobotanical results from the medieval urban center of Ile-Ife, southwestern Nigeria, best known for its famous artworks. Both wheat and cotton likely spread through trans-Saharan trade networks that laid the foundation for later European trade systems. Forty-eight (48) grains of free-threshing wheat () represent the largest assemblage of wheat recovered in sub-Saharan West Africa, which is surprising given that wheat cannot be cultivated locally. Larger quantities of cotton ( sp.) recovered from late 12th- to early 13th-century CE contexts suggest earlier and more widespread use than wheat. Cotton may have been cultivated and manufactured into cloth locally. The quick adoption of these exotic crops illustrates the active negotiation of prestige through culinary and adornment practices, as well as a high degree of agricultural experimentation.
本研究报告了在西非湿润森林中最早有直接年代测定的考古小麦和棉花的出现。这些是来自尼日利亚西南部中世纪城市伊费的考古植物学的首批成果，该城市以其著名的艺术品而闻名。小麦和棉花可能是通过跨撒哈拉贸易网络传播的，这为后来的欧洲贸易体系奠定了基础。48 粒自由脱粒小麦 () 代表了在撒哈拉以南的西非地区发现的最大的小麦集合，这令人惊讶，因为当地无法种植小麦。从 12 世纪晚期到 13 世纪早期的考古遗址中发现了更多的棉花 ( sp.) ，表明其使用时间更早且更为广泛。棉花可能是在当地种植并制成布料。这些外来作物的迅速采用说明了人们通过烹饪和装饰实践积极地对声望进行协商，以及高度的农业试验。
