Stable carbon isotope evidence for Neolithic and Bronze Age crop water management in the Eastern Mediterranean and Southwest Asia

In a large study on early crop water management, stable carbon isotope discrimination was
determined for 275 charred grain samples from nine archaeological sites, dating primarily to
the Neolithic and Bronze Age, from the Eastern Mediterranean and Western Asia. This has
revealed that wheat (Triticumspp.) was regularly grown in wetter conditions than barley
(Hordeumsp.), indicating systematic preferential treatment of wheat that may reflect a cultural
preference for wheat over barley. Isotopic analysis of pulse crops (Lens culinaris,
Pisum sativumand Vicia ervilia) indicates cultivation in highly varied water conditions at
some sites, possibly as a result of opportunistic watering practices. The results have also
provided evidence for local land-use and changing agricultural practices.