Wild, managed and cultivated plants in northern Iberia: an archaeobotanical approach to Medieval plant exploitation in the Basque Country

Abstract

Results from an archaeobotanical study of three Medieval and Post-Medieval sites of the Basque Country are presented. Data reveals the presence of a large range of plant species from different types of productive spaces: agricultural fields, orchards and gardens, and forests which complemented each other to provide different types of resources to the inhabitants of the area. Species such as the medlar (Mespilus germanica), the quince (Cydonia oblonga) or the bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria) are documented for the first time in the Iberian Peninsula.