Harvesting variability of domestic cereals through texture analysis of sickle gloss

Abstract

In previous studies, we have dealt with the variability of harvesting gloss through confocal microscopy and texture analysis at the origins of agriculture in the Near East. We considered that harvesting variability was mainly caused by the different degree of humidity of cereals when reaped, as the transition from wild to domestic cereals implied the progressively riper harvesting of crops. However, an important variability of harvesting gloss can also be observed in contexts in which exploited cereals were fully domesticated. In order to understand this variability, we are carrying out a new set of sequential experiments in which sickles are used for cutting high and low different species of cereals in varied ecological contexts. In this presentation, we will show how these variables affect the characteristics of harvesting traces.