Dietary habits of Lydians revealed in charred seeds

BALIKESİR

The seeds have been preserved underground for 2,600 years. (AA Photo)

Charred seeds dating back 2,600 years have been discovered inside an oven unearthed during excavations at the ancient city of Daskyleion, located on the shores of Lake Manyas in the northwestern province of Balıkesir.

The ancient city, situated in the Ergili neighborhood of Bandırma district, bears traces of numerous civilizations that ruled Anatolia. Excavations at the site, whose history dates back 3,000 years, began in 1954 and are currently being conducted under the direction of Kaan İren, a faculty member in the archaeology department of Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University.

This year’s excavations began in July with the support of the Culture and Tourism Ministry, the Balıkesir Governor’s Office, Balıkesir Metropolitan Municipality, Manyas Municipality and Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University.

Archaeologists investigating the dietary and culinary habits of the city’s ancient inhabitants have focused their work on an area known as the “Lydian Kitchen.

Careful excavations using small, delicate tools have revealed additional ovens in the area. The discoveries include einkorn, emmer and common wheat, six-row barley, broad beans, bitter vetch, chickpeas, peas, lentils, grass peas and grape seeds.

A pit in the bedrock containing a large number of seeds was also found to have been used to store grains.

The findings offer insights not only into where food was cooked but also into how food was stored, which plants were consumed and how kitchens functioned in daily life approximately 2,600 years ago
Yeşim Kirman, an archaeologist on the excavation team, told state-run Anadolu Agency that the excavation season was nearing its end.

Describing the work in the Lydian Kitchen as rewarding, Kirman said the team had uncovered objects in what appeared to be their original positions.

“This year, we also carried out excavations in the pantry section of the kitchen. During the work, we discovered another oven, bringing the total number of ovens uncovered to seven,” she said.

Kirman said the team had found fish bones, bird bones and seeds from foods consumed by the ancient inhabitants while excavating the soil inside the oven. Laboratory analyses are being used to identify the seeds and determine their age.

The layer inside the oven yielded seeds from various plants, including wheat, barley, chickpeas and lentils.

“We find these seeds in a charred state. They have been preserved underground in this condition for 2,600 years. Organic materials are normally very difficult to preserve, but when they are found in a sealed layer, we can recover them in a charred state,” Kirman said.

She noted that the Lydians consumed foods similar to those eaten today.

According to Kirman, the Lydians cooked their meals in mudbrick ovens. Based on the materials recovered, she added, the kitchen appears to have been used by people from the upper social classes.

Seeds of plants discovered in an ancient oven in Balıkesir are shedding light on the dietary habits, food storage methods of the Lydians