Introduction, spread and selective breeding of crops: new archaeobotanical data from southern Italy in the early Middle Ages

This paper presents a summary of the record of the cultivated plant macroremains from southern Italy during the early Middle Ages, with a focus on the recent discoveries of crop remains in Sicily. These have shed light on the introduction of new plants in the central Mediterranean region at ca. 500-1100 ce. Specifically, we are dealing with the first evidence of the adoption of two new varieties of crops, one of flax (Linum usitatissimum cf. conv. mediterraneum) and the other of broad (or faba) bean (Vicia faba cf. var. equina) during the 8th century, a period of Byzantine domination, and also the introduction of exotic plants such as Solanum melongena (aubergine) and Gossypium herbaceum/arboreum (cotton) following the Islamic conquest. In some cases these developments were to have long term impacts, for example in Sicily with regard to cotton, which became an important cash crop there in the 13th century, and throughout southern Italy with regard to a new variety of Vicia faba (Vicia faba cf. var. major), which was grown in Puglia from the late Middle Ages onwards.