Table 2. The sites included in the quantitative analyses of this study with information on the number of samples, mesh size used during water flotation and the interpretation of the wild grass finds by the respective authors.
Periods follow the Levantine sequence and have no strict cultural implications.
| Site (phase or area) | C-14 dates (ka cal. BP; | Samples or | Mesh size | Author(s) interpretation(s) | Contextual evidence | References for botanical |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| based on individual site | loci (n) | (mm) | of wild grasses* | for wild grass* use/origin | data and interpretations | |
| reports and [133,134]) | ||||||
| Epipalaeolithic | ||||||
| Ohalo II | 23 | unknown | unknown** | Staple food/arable weeds | in situ working area | [38,49,73,74] |
| Pinarbaşi (Epipalaeolithic) | 16.2–12.9 | 25 | 0.1 | Fuel, construction materials | [75] | |
| Wadi al-Hammeh 27 | 14–13.7 | 14Ub | 0.3 | Potential food | [40] | |
| Wadi el-Jilat 6 | 13.7 | 10Ub | 0.3 | Potential food | [40] | |
| Abu Hureyra (1) | 13.2–12.8 | unknown | 1 | Potential food/arable weeds | [121] | |
| Körtik Tepe (Younger | 12.4–11.7 | 116Ub | 0.2 | Staple food | [60] | |
| Dryas) | ||||||
| Epipalaeolithic/PPNA | ||||||
| Tell Qaramel (H2) | 12.3–11.3 | 108 (H1-3) | 0.5 | Harvested accidentally with | Stipa sp. grains concentrated | [76] |
| wild cereals | in one sample | |||||
| Mureybet (I-II) | 12.2–11.3 | 33Ub | unknown | Potential food | [24] | |
| Qermez Dere | 12.1–10.8 | 47Ub | 0.35 | Staple food | [51,130] | |
| PPNA | ||||||
| Sheikh-e Abad (Trench 1) | 11.8–11.2 | 5 | 0.25 | Potential food and dung | Separated in CA from crop/ | [18] |
| burning (esp. Poa type 1) | weed group | |||||
| Hallan Çemi | 11.7–11.3 | 175Ub | 0.35 | Potential food | [51,130] | |
| M'lefaat | 11.7–10.8 | 4 | 0.35 | Staple food | [51,130] | |
| Körtik Tepe (Early | 11.6–11.3 | 231Ub | 0.2 | Staple food | [60] | |
| Holocene) | ||||||
| Chogha Golan (XI-VIII) | 11.7–10.6 | 13 | 0.2 | Undetermined | [16] | |
| Iraq ed-Dubb (structures) | 11.5–11.3 | 7 | 0.3 | Potential food/arable weeds | [40] | |
| Jerf el Ahmar | 11.5–10.6 | 266Ub | 0.5 | Potential food/arable weeds | Context with concentration of | [32] |
| Aegilops sp. spikelet bases | ||||||
| Demirköy | 11.4–11.3 | 12Ub | 0.35 | Potential food | [51,130] | |
| Mureybet (III) | 11.4–10.5 | 28Ub | unknown | Potential food | [24] | |
| Netiv Hagdud | 11.3–10.9 | 58 | 0.5 | Potential food | [28] | |
| Tell Qaramel (H3) | 11.3–10.9 | 108 (H1-3) | 0.5 | Harvested accidentally with | [76] | |
| wild cereals | ||||||
| Tell 'Abr | 11.3–10.9 | 30Ub | 0.5 | Arable weeds | [32] | |
| el-Hemmeh | 11.2–10.6 | 15 lociUb | 0.25 | Potential food/arable weeds | [35,80] | |
| ZAD 2 (Structure 1) | 11.1–10.8 | 18 lociUb | 0.5 | Subsistence sensu lato | [33,72] | |
| Pinarbaşi (early) | 11–10.6 | 13Ub | 0.1 | Potential food or fuel | [57] | |
| PPNA/early PPNB | ||||||
| Wadi Faynan 16 | 11.4–10.3 | 44 | 0.25 | Potential food | [131] | |
| Tell Aswad (I) | 11.3–10.4 | 9 | unknown | Arable weeds | [23] | |
| Dja'de | 11.1–10.3 | 227Ub | 0.5 | Potential food/arable weeds | [32] | |
| early PPNB | ||||||
| ZAD 2 (Structure 2) | 10.7–10.5 | 8 loci | 0.5 | Subsistence sensu lato | [72] | |
| Tell Qarassa (Area XYZ) | 10.7–10.2 | 58Ub | 0.25 | Arable weeds/undetermined | [81] | |
| Çayönü (grill-channel) | 10.6–10.2 | 96Ub | unknown | Arable weeds/undetermined | [79] | |
| early/middle PPNB | ||||||
| Tell Aswad (II) | 10.6–9.5 | 21Ub | unknown | Arable weeds | [23] | |
| Pinarbaşi (late) | 10.6–9.7 | 27Ub | 0.1 | Potential food or fuel | [57] | |
| Nevali Çori | 10.5–9.6 | 267 | 0.35 | Arable weeds/undetermined | [94] | |
| Cafer Höyük | 10.3–9.5 | 62Ub | 0.3 | Undetermined | [42] | |
| Aşikli Höyük | 10.3–9.4 | 144Ub | unknown | Undetermined | [82] | |
| middle PPNB | ||||||
| Chogha Golan (VII-II) | 10.2–9.8 | 98Ub | 0.2 | Staple food | This paper and [44] | |
| Ganj Dareh | 10–9.5 | 122Ub | unknown** | Potential food/undetermined | [39] | |
| Sheikh-e Abad (Trench 2) | 10 | 9 | 0.25 | Potential food and dung | Separated in CA from crop/ | [18] |
| burning (esp. Poa type 1) | weed group | |||||
| el-Hemmeh | 9.8–9.6 | 31 lociUb | 0.25 | Arable weeds/animal fodder | [80] | |
| Sheikh-e Abad (Trench 3) | 9.6 | 27Ub | 0.25 | Potential food and dung | Poa type 1 constitutes over | [18] |
| burning (esp. Poa type 1) | 90% to the samples | |||||
| middle/late PPNB | ||||||
| Çayönü (cobble-cell) | 10.3–9.4 | 105Ub | unknown | Arable weeds/unspecified | [79] | |
| Abu Hurerya (2A) | 9.8–9.4 | 41Ub | 1 | Potential food/arable weeds | [42] | |
| Tell Halula | 9.8–9 | 96 | 0.2 | Potential food (Aegilops)/ | [108] | |
| arable weeds | ||||||
| Wadi el-Jilat 7 (Middle) | 9.7–9.4 | 21Ub | 0.3 | Potential food/arable weeds | [40] | |
| Tell Ghoraifé (I) | 9.9–9.4 | 18Ub | unknown | Arable weeds | [23] | |
| late PPNB | ||||||
| Ali Kosh (BM-AK) | 9.5–9 | unknown | unknown | Arable weeds/wild resources | [21] | |
| Sabi Abyad II | 9.5–8.8 | 10 | unknown | Arable weeds | [89] | |
| Ras Shamra (Vc) | 9.5–9.1 | 25Ub | unknown | Arable weeds | [95] | |
| Gritille | 9.5–8.7 | 52Ub | 1 | Undetermined | [132] | |
| Can Hasan III | 9.5–8.5 | 4 | 1 | Arable weeds/undetermined | [83,129] | |
| Abu Hurerya (2B) | 9.4–9.1 | 43Ub | 1 | Potential food/arable weeds | [42] | |
| Tell Bouqras (Sq. 16/13) | 9.4–8.2 | 97Ub | unknown | Undetermined | [96] | |
| Tell Ramad (I) | 9.3–9 | 13Ub | unknown | Arable weeds | [23] | |
| Tell Ghoraifé (II) | 9.1 | 17Ub | unknown | Arable weeds | [23] | |
| Çatalhöyük East (VI-PXII) | 9.1–8.5 | 61Ub | 0.3 | Potential food/arable weeds/ | Storage finds of Taeniatherum | [41,53,87,88] |
| dung burning, basketry | caput-medusae grains | |||||
| El Kowm (II) | 9–8.5 | 31Ub | 0.3 | Arable weeds/dung burning | [42] |
Ub ubiquity was given in/calculated based on publication
* regardless of the wild cereals, which might be interpreted differently
** no information available, but small-seeded grasses were recovered in considerable abundance
CA = correspondence analysis