The archaeobotanical remains (pollen, seeds/fruits and charcoal)

The archaeobotanical data from Aghram Nadharif, consisting of pollen, seeds/fruits and charcoal analyses, made it possible to reconstruct the main traits of the plant landscape and economy by collecting cultivated and wild plant records. Sixty-six samples, selected from the sediment and naked-eye samples collected during the 1999-2001 excavations, were treated to extract pollen and isolate macroremains. In the deposit, abundant pollen and charcoal were found, wilst seeds and fruits were scarce. THe characterizing records were: (i) cultivated plants: Phoenix, well represented by pollen, fruits and charcoal; Ficus, recorded as pollen; Vitis, recorded as pips; cereals represented by frequent pollen and a few carpological records (mainly Hordeum, and a few Triticum, Panicum, Pennisetum and Setaria); (ii) wild plants: Tamarix, recorded as pollen, twigs and charcoal; Typha, recorded as pollen. Altogether, it emerged that during the Garamantian period the plant landscape was strongly influenced by human impact, with plantations occupying much of the oasis and wild vegetation restricted to the more distant wadi bed areas. Some woods, probably imported, were native to the Mediterranean basin (Pinus, Salix). The site was still inhabited in the medieval times, when peach trees (Prunus persica) were possibly also grown and wood from tropical regions (Commiphora) was imported. Nevertheless, it seems that the agricultural activities carried out in the area before the 1st century BC and the 4th century AD had already profoundly marked the territory. Date palms with small cereal fields and grape vines in their shade were the main cultivated plants near Aghram Nadharif.