01843nas a2200193 4500008004100000022001300041245012400054210006900178300001100247490000700258520119300265653001801458653001301476653002901489653001701518653001401535100001701549856008301566 2023 eng d a2352409X00aEffects of charring on squash (Cucurbita L) seed morphology and compression strength: Implications for paleoethnobotany0 aEffects of charring on squash Cucurbita L seed morphology and co a1040170 v493 a

The primary crops of Indigenous agricultural systems in North America in the centuries prior to and following
European colonization were maize (Zea mays ssp. mays), bean (Phaseolus spp.), and squash (Cucurbita spp.). Of
these, charred maize is the best represented in macrobotanical assemblages from open-air sites in northeastern
North America; macrobotanical assemblages in this region consist primarily of charred plant remains. Charred
bean seeds generally occur in much lower quantities and charred squash seeds in lower quantities than charred
bean seeds. Heating taphonomy experiments have been performed on maize kernels and bean seeds to determine
the most likely temperature range for preservation in the archaeological record. Such studies have been lacking
for squash seeds. A series of heating experiments with seeds harvested from fruits of three squash species indicate
that unlike maize kernels and bean seeds, charring does not enhance squash seed preservation. The recovery of
one or a few charred squash seeds from a site likely represents a high degree of use.

10aCarbonization10aCharring10aExperimental archaeology10aSquash seeds10aTaphonomy1 aHart, J., P. uhttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352409X2300192X?via%3Dihub02045nas a2200193 4500008004100000022001300041245009500054210006900149260001600218300001100234490000700245520143300252653001301685653001601698653002901714653002401743100001701767856006701784 2021 eng d a2352409X00aThe effects of charring on common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L) seed morphology and strength0 aeffects of charring on common bean Phaseolus vulgaris L seed mor cApr-27-2021 a1029960 v373 a

Bean (Phaseolus L. spp.) is one of three crops along with maize (Zea mays L. ssp. mays) and squash (Cucurbita L. spp.) that dominated Native American agricultural systems throughout the Western Hemisphere. Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) was the species present in northeastern North America and was the last of the three crops to be adopted there. Common bean macrobotanical remains become archaeologically visible as charred whole seeds and more typically cotyledons around cal. CE 1250. After that time, common bean is scare in the archaeological record, especially when compared to charred maize kernels. This has led paleoethnobotanists to suggest charred common bean seeds do not preserve well because of physical changes during charring. The results of charring experiments presented here indicate that cotyledons of charred dried common bean seeds heated at temperatures between 220 ◦C and 260 ◦C maintain strength, identifying characteristics, are little changed in size, and so are likely to survive and be identified. Common bean seeds carbonized at higher temperatures lose substantial mass, exhibit surficial fissures, and consequently lose strength, suggesting they are unlikely to survive intact if at all in the archaeological record. Rehydrated seeds lose considerable strength at all temperatures and are less likely than carbonize dried beans to survive in the archaeological record.

10aCharring10acommon bean10aExperimental archaeology10aSeed identification1 aHart, J., P. uhttps://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S2352409X2100208X