Marie-Pierre RUAS with the cooperation of Bénédicte PRADAT EARLY-MEDIEVAL AGRO-PASTORAL PRODUCTION AT MESNIL-AUBRY (VAL-D’OISE): Carpological Evidence from "La Croix Verte / La Chapelle"

Abstract

This paper presents the carpological analysis of the rural site of Mesnil-Aubry dating from the 7th to the 11th century AD. Most of the samples are from secondary pit fills. Most contain carbonised or mineralized seeds and agglomerates of burnt straw. The main cultivated plants are rye, wheat, bitter vetch and pea followed by barley, oat, flax, hemp, lentil and horse bean. No agricultural association between the different cereal crops has been found, however oat and vetch are often associated. The cereal waste after dehusking illustrates the general purpose use of rye straw in the settlement and for rearing livestock. The contents of an oven, rich in fine siftings cereals, challenges its function as an oast house. Cultivated and wild plants of the 10th and 11th century illustrate a probably complex agro-pastoral cycle.

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