S. V. Bashtannik, Institute of Human Ecology SB RAS

Leningradsky ave., 10, Kemerovo, 650065, Russia

E-mail: abai@yandex.ru

UDC 903 ' 16

Introduction

Agriculture is an important component of the productive economy of many societies in the past. The remains of cultivated and associated plants deposited in the cultural layers of archaeological sites allow us to identify many of its features: the natural and ecological environment in which it developed, the composition of cultivated crops, and the anthropogenic impact on natural landscapes.

The purpose of archaeological and botanical research was to study the composition of agricultural crops and reconstruct on this basis some features of agriculture of the medieval population of the Arys River valley.

Working methods

Flotation of the cultural layer of monuments was carried out at the field stage of research to extract archaeobotanical material. The method of soil flotation (water separation) is based on the difference in the specific gravity of water and organic and mineral substances immersed in it. The former, which have a specific gravity of 0.3 - 0.6 g/cm3, float to the surface, while the latter, which are heavier, settle to the bottom [Rukovodstvo..., 2000, pp. 11-12]. In a container with a capacity of 10-12 dm3, 3 - 4 dm3 of soil was soaked, stirred and shaken. Then, heavy mineral particles settled for 10-12 minutes and organic substances surfaced, which were separated by means of a sieve with a mesh diameter of 0.5 - 3 mm. The laboratory stage of the study consisted in quantitative calculation, generic and specific determination of plant residues using vegetation atlases, fruit and seed determinants, and reference collections. At the interpretation stage, the relationships of different vegetation types were established and the vegetation cover, landscapes and paleoclimate, features of agriculture and gathering were reconstructed. The saturation of plant remains in the samples and the stratigraphic and planigraphic contexts represented by these samples was determined. Archaeobotanical materials obtained by flotation are more informative than grain accumulations (fruits, seeds), since they allow you to get data on all stages of the monument's functioning, while the accumulation records the situation at the time when it was buried.

General characteristics of archaeobotanical material

The bulk of the material is represented by carbonized, i.e. charred under the influence of high temperature, plant residues. A smaller part of the fruits and seeds were preserved in a non-carbonized state, which is explained by the peculiarities of the structure and chemical structure of their tissues, as well as

The author expresses his gratitude to the Director of the Institute of Archeology of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan akad for constant assistance in field work. NAS RK K. M. Baipakov, Chief researcher of this Institute Dr. T. V. Savelyeva, Doctor of Historical Sciences, researcher D. A. Voyakin.

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Fig. 1. Localization of ancient settlements with ring falls.

2. Double-row filmy barley-Hordeum vulgare distichum.

dryness of the cultural layer. These are, as a rule, fruit pits, fruits and seeds of weeds or wild plants, spikelets of cereals. Plant remains lay inside and near the furnaces, in ash pits, garbage pits relatively evenly over their entire depth and area. To avoid getting into the samples of modern flora, they were taken in places where the cultural layer was not disturbed by digging holes or burrows of animals. There is no modern agricultural activity on the territory of the monuments.

Two medieval settlements, Juvan - tobe and Karaspan-tobe, were chosen for archaeological and botanical research, located close to each other in the valley of the Arys River (in its middle course), a right tributary of the Syr Darya (Fig. 1). The settlements are located at the bottom of the ancient floodplain of the river. Even before their appearance, the Arys River, which flows in the direction of the meridian, under the influence of the Earth's daily rotation on the movement of water particles (Baer's law), washed away the right bank and moved to the north.

Juvan-tobe is a two-part ancient settlement consisting of a high hillock in the center (citadel) and a circular rabad. The hillock is rectangular in shape, oriented to the cardinal directions. Its height is more than 20 m, the diameter of the base is 90 - 120 m, the upper flat area is 70 - 80 m. The height of the rounded rabad plan is 4-5 m, the width is from 30 to 60 m. The ancient settlement dates back to the VI-X centuries.

According to the tenth-century Arab geographer Ibn Haukal, " there are good pastures between Farab (Otrar), Kenjide and Shash (Tashkent), and there were about 1,000 families of Turks who had already converted to Islam... Subanikent is the main city of the Kenjide region" [Past of Kazakhstan..., 1997, p. 36]. In addition to this, the anonymous work Hudud-al-alem (X century) states that "Subanikent is a pleasant, prosperous and rich city" [Ibid., p. 33]. According to V. V. Barthold, the Kenjide region was located in the middle reaches of the Arys River (1965, p. 232). The ancient settlement of Juvan-tobe corresponds to the main city of this region, i.e. to the Early Medieval Subanikent. Since Subanikent is not mentioned in sources dated later than the tenth century, and there are no layers on the site dating later than the tenth century, Juvan-tobe was identified by E. I. Ageeva with this city.

In the 1950s, a South Kazakhstan archaeological expedition led by E. I. Ageeva and G. I. Patsevich worked on the site, noting the presence of barley and millet grains (without a specific definition), as well as melon seeds**.

In 2002, three samples for archaeobotanical analysis containing 178 carbonized fruits and seeds were taken from the floor level and ash pits of the upper construction horizon (X century) in Juvan-tob. It was found that agriculture was based on the cultivation of cereals, among which two-row filmy barley (Hordeum vulgare distichum) prevailed -65 grains (Fig. 2), paniculate millet (Panicum milliaceum) - 61 (Fig. 3), soft wheat (Triticum aestivum) - 24 grains (Fig. 4). Legumes are represented by peas seed (Pisum sativum) - 14 seeds (Fig. 5), table lentils (Lens culinaris) - 4 seeds, mash (Phaseolus aureus) - 4 pods with seeds.

* Ageeva E. I., Patsevich G. I. Report of the South Kazakhstan archaeological expedition. Alma-ata, 1951, p. 3-10. - Archive of the Institute of Archeology of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

** Ibid.

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In 2004, archaeobotanical research was continued. Five samples were taken, described below.

Sample 1. Excavation, 2nd construction horizon. A street in the southern part of the excavation site. Ash filling of the tandoor. Depth 160 cm. Sample volume 10 dm3.

1. Dwarf wheat - Triticum compactum, family of Cereals-Poaceae. Grain sizes 5*3*2 and 4,5*2,5*2 mm - 3 pcs.

2. Double-row filmy barley-Hordeum vulgare distichum, family of Cereals-Poaceae. Zernovki 4*2*1,5 mm - 6 pcs.

3. Paniculate millet-Panicum milliaceum, family of Cereals-Poaceae. Grain size 2.3*1.8 mm - 31 pcs.

4. Seed peas-Pisum sativum, Legume family-Fabaceae. Strongly destroyed due to carbonation seeds with a diameter of 4 - 6 mm - 27 pcs.

5. Wine grapes - Vitis vinifera, grape family-Vitaceae. Bones in sizes 3*4 and 2.5*2.8 mm - 2 pcs.

6. Water pepper-Polygonum hidropiper, Buckwheat family-Polygonaceae. Achene 1.3*1.7 mm.

Sample 2. Excavation. Raw bricks from building structures of the 2nd construction horizon.

White marj - Chenopodium album, the family of Marjaceae-Chenopodiaceae. Severely damaged seed with a diameter of 0.85 mm. It may have fallen by accident when making bricks.

Sample 3. Stratigraphic pit. Ash pit in the western brow. Its mouth is located at the level of the 2nd construction horizon (late IX-early X century). The sample was taken from the bottom of the ash pit. Depth 170 cm. Sample volume 30 dm3. After flotation, the organic material was mainly represented by thorns of a prickly plant - several thousand.

1. Field sparrow-Lithospermum arvense, Borage family-Boraginaceae. Fruits-ash-gray nuts with a size of 3*2.5 mm-7 pcs. (Figure 6).

2. Double-row filmy barley-Hordeum vulgare distichum, family of Cereals-Poaceae. Zernovki 7*3*2 mm - 7 pcs.

3. Two-row naked barley-Hordeum vulgare distichum var. nudum, family of Cereals-Poaceae. Zernovka 6*3*1,7 mm.

4. Rice-Oriza sativa, family of Cereals-Poaceae. Grain size 5*1,5*2 mm.

5. Dwarf wheat - Triticum compactum, family of Cereals-Poaceae. Grain sizes 5*3*2 and 4,6*2,5*2 mm - 8 pcs.

6. Camel thorn-Alhagi pseudalhagi, Legume family-Fabaceae (Fig. 7). Two seeds, one of which is charred, and the other has retained its natural color. The seed length is 2.5 mm.

3. Paniculate millet-Panicum milliaceum.

4. Triticum aestivum soft wheat.

Fig. 5. Peas sown - Pisum sativum.

Fig. 6. Field sparrow - Lithospermum arvense.

7. Camel thorn-Alhagi pseudalhagi.

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Fig. 8. Apple/pear - Pyrus.

Fig. 9. Vitis vinifera wine grapes.

7. Seeds of wild plants of the Legume family-Fabaceae.

8. Apple/pear - Pyrus / malus, Rosaceae family. Seeds - 2 pcs. (Figure 8).

9. Fruit plant bones destroyed due to carbonation - 10 pcs.

The composition of the sample indicates that the sediment presented in it was formed during the disposal of household waste of plant origin.

Sample 4. Stratigraphic pit on the northern side of the citadel, near the western edge. Filling the garbage pit under the ash pan. Hard loam of gray-greenish color with splashes of fragments of animal bones. Depth 270 cm. The sample volume is 10 dm3.

1. Dwarf wheat - Triticum compactum, family of Cereals-Poaceae. Grain sizes 4*2,6*2; 3*1,5*1,7; 4,2*2,8*1,8 mm - 5 pcs.

2. Round wheat - Triticum sphaerococcum, family of Cereals-Poaceae. Zernovki 4*3,9*3 mm - 2 pcs.

3. Double-row filmy barley-Hordeum vulgare distichum, family of Cereals-Poaceae. Zernovka 6*3*1,7 mm.

4. Paniculate millet-Panicum milliaceum, family of Cereals-Poaceae. Seeds 2(2,1)*3 mm -32 pcs. Some have preserved spikelet scales.

5. Seed peas-Pisum sativum, Legume family-Fabaceae. Seeds that break up into cotyledons, five cotyledons with a diameter of 5-5,5 mm; a whole seed with a diameter of 4 mm with well-preserved morphological details.

Sample 5. Stratigraphic pit on the northern side of the citadel, 320 cm from the eastern edge. Filling the garbage pit-badraba, 4th construction horizon. The loam is gray-greenish in color. Depth 300 cm. The sample volume is 10 dm3.

1. Double-row filmy barley-Hordeum vulgare distichum, family of Cereals-Poaceae. Grain sizes 5*2*1,5; 4*5*2*1; 5*5*2*2 mm - 3 pcs.

2. Two-row naked barley-Hordeum vulgare distichum var. nudum, family of Cereals-Poaceae. Zernovka 4,5*2,7*1,8 mm.

3. Soft wheat - Triticum aestivum, family of Cereals-Poaceae. Zernovka 6*3*2 mm.

4. Dwarf wheat - Triticum compactum, family of Cereals-Poaceae. Zernovka 3*2*1,7 mm.

5. Paniculate millet-Panicum milliaceum, family of Cereals-Poaceae. Grain size 1,9*2 mm - 2 pcs.

6. Legume seed-Fabaceae, strongly destroyed, 3*4 mm in size.

7. Wine grapes - Vitis vinifera, grape family-Vitaceae. Carbonized bone 5*3*2,7 mm with a broken "beak" (fig. 9).

Archaeobotanical studies were also carried out at the Karaspan-tobe ancient settlement, located 10 km west of Juvan-tobe and similar in layout. Material from layers of the Late Kangyu period (Kaunchi II culture) was obtained at the site. More than 100 fruits and seeds belonging to 13 botanical species were collected. These are mainly field and fruit crops. In 2004, a stratigraphic pit was laid on the southern side of the circular rabad surrounding the citadel, where samples were taken.

Sample 6. Depth 40 cm, 9th habitat level. The filling of the pit is represented by brown loam. The sample volume is 10 dm3.

1. Seed peas-Pisum sativum, Legume family-Fabaceae. The seed is 4 mm in diameter.

2. Field sparrow-Lithospermum arvense, Borage family-Boraginaceae. The fruit is an ash-gray nut with a size of 3*2.5 mm.

Sample 7. Square D-7. Depth 340 cm, 7th habitat level. Filling the burrow of an earthmoving animal. Dark brown sandy loam, rich in burnt organic matter. The sample volume is 10 dm3.

Viper onion-Muscari, Lily family-Liliaceae. Nuts with a diameter of 2.0-2.3 mm - 5 pcs.

Sample 8. Ashtray in sandy loam cultural layer. Depth of 380 cm, 7th level of habitation, Kangyu period (IV-V centuries). There are fragments of ceramics of red color with a gray angob. The sample volume is 10 dm3.

Plum - Prunus domestica, Rosaceae family. Highly destroyed carbonized bone.

Sample 9. Ash pit in the sandy loam cultural layer in the northern part of the pit. Depth 390 cm, 7th level

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10. Black elderberry-Sambucus nigra.

Fig. 11. Fruits of buckwheat plants.

12. Viper onion-Muscari.

habitat, Kangyu period (IV-V centuries). There are fragments of red pottery with a gray angob, bone fragments, and burnt wood. Sample volume 30 dm3.

1. Paniculate millet-Panicum milliaceum, family of Cereals-Poaceae. Zernovki 2,3*1,8 mm - 12 pcs.

2. Double-row filmy barley-Hordeum vulgare distichum, family of Cereals-Poaceae. Zernovka 7*3*2 mm.

3. Seed peas-Pisum sativum, Legume family-Fabaceae. Strongly destroyed due to carbonation seeds with a diameter of 4 - 5 mm - 5 pcs.

4. Wine grapes - Vitis vinifera, grape family-Vitaceae. Bones 4...6*3.5...5*2.8...3.2 mm - 36 pcs.

5. Black elderberry-Sambucus nigra, Honeysuckle family-Caprifoliaceae. Bones 5*3.5 mm - 2 pcs. (Figure 10).

6. Viper onion - Muscari, Lily family-Liliaceae. Nut with a diameter of 1.8 mm.

Sample 10. Floor sandy loam dark brown layer of ash and calculus with a thickness of 5 cm. Depth 395 cm, 7th level of habitation, late Kangyu period (IV-V centuries). The sample volume is 10 dm3.

1. Soft wheat - Triticum aestivum, family of Cereals-Poaceae. Zernovki 5*3*2 mm - 3 pcs.

2. Rice-Oriza sativa, family of Cereals-Poaceae. Zernovka 5*1,5*2 mm.

3. Double-row filmy barley-Hordeum vulgare distichum, family of Cereals-Poaceae. Zernovki 6*3*2 mm - 7 pcs.

4. Paniculate millet-Panicum milliaceum, family of Cereals-Poaceae. Grains with a diameter of 2 mm - 5 pcs.

5. Seed peas-Pisum sativum, Legume family-Fabaceae. Strongly destroyed due to carbonation seed 3*4 mm.

6. Wine grapes - Vitis vinifera, grape family-Vitaceae. The bone is 4*3.7 mm.

7. White marj - Chenopodium album, the family of Marjaceae-Chenopodiaceae. Severely damaged seed with a diameter of 0.9 mm.

8. Fruits of plants of the Buckwheat family-Polygonaceae - 8 pcs. (Fig. 11).

Sample 11. Was taken while filling a utility pit at a depth of 3.75 - 3.9 m. The sample volume is 10 dm3.

1. Seed peas-Pisum sativum, Legume family-Fabaceae. The seed is 4*4.2 mm.

2. Paniculate millet-Panicum milliaceum, family of Cereals-Poaceae. Grain with a diameter of 2 mm.

Sample 12. Filling of vessels of kaunchi II culture, brown sandy loam. The depth of vessels is 420 cm. The sample volume is 3 dm3.

1. Paniculate millet-Panicum milliaceum, family of Cereals-Poaceae. Grains with a diameter of 2 mm - 2 pcs.

2. Camel thorn-Alhagi pseudalhagi, Legume family-Fabaceae. Strongly destroyed due to the influence of high temperature seed 3*1 mm.

3. Viper onion - Muscari, Lily family-Liliaceae. Non-carbonized nuts with a diameter of 1.8 mm - 6 pcs. (Figure 12).

Discussion of the results

All archaeobotanical material is summarized in a table. The obtained data allow us to draw some conclusions about the importance of certain crops in agricultural production.

Fig.One grain was found in the IV-V century layer on Karaspan-tob and in the VII century layer on Juvan-tob. Their small number does not allow us to speak about the independent role of this crop in agriculture. Perhaps the rice was imported. Confirm its cultivation

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Archeobotanical collection from the ancient settlements of Juvan-tobe and Karaspan-tobe

View

Karaspan-tobe, layers of the II-V centuries.

Juwan-tobe

Total

Pit, 4th construction horizon, VII c.

Excavation site, 2nd construction horizon, IX-X centuries.

Total

Round wheat - Triticum sphaeroccum

-

1

-

1

1

P. pygmy - Tr. compactum

-

14

3

17

17

P. myagkaya - Tr. aestivum

3

1

24

25

28

Double-row filmy barley-Hordeum vulgare distichum

8

11

69

80

88

Y. two-rowed nudibranch-H. vulgare distichum nudum

-

2

-

2

2

H. vulgare hexastichum, a six - row filmy plant

-

-

2

2

2

Paniculate millet - Panicum milliaceum

20

34

92

126

146

Rice-Oriza sativa

1

1

-

1

2

Seed peas-Pisum sativum

8

7

41

48

56

Table lentils-Lens culinaris

-

-

4

4

4

Mash - Phaseolus aureus

-

-

8 pods

-

-

Grapes - Vitis vinifera

37

1

6

7

43

Apple/pear - Pyrus / malus

-

-

2

2

2

Plum - Prunus domestika

1

-

-

-

1

Camel Thorn - Alhagi pseudalhagi and wild legumes

2

11

-

11

12

Viper's Bow-Muscari

7

-

-

-

7

Water pepper-Poligonum hidropiper

8

-

1

1

9

Field sparrow-Lithospermum arvense

1

7

-

7

8

Black elderberry - Sambucus nigra

2

-

-

-

1

Mary Belaya-Chenopodium album

3

-

100

100

103

Seeds of unidentifiable fruit trees

-

10

-

10

10

Total

101

100

348

444

993

typical weeds of this crop could be present in the middle Arys region, but such data are not available yet. Rice was previously found in layers of the 7th century at the Konyr-tobe settlement in the Otrar oasis and also in very small quantities. It has not yet been found in the layers of the IX-X centuries and later. The same situation is typical for the previously studied ancient settlements of the Otrar oasis (Bashtannik, Baipakov, and Zinyakov, 2001).

It is most likely that agriculture was based on the cultivation of two cereals - millet and barley.

Millet. Paniculate millet grains (Panicum milliaceum) are larger in all layers than barley grains. But this is due to the fact that they are very small (on average 2 mm in diameter) and there are much more grains in the panicle of millet than in the ear of barley. Dimensions of millet grains found 2,3*1,7; 1,5*1,5; 1,8*2 Therefore, taking into account the grain reduction during carbonation, its dimensions can be restored as 1.9...2.1*2.1...2.4 mm, which is characterized by modern paniculate millet. Some seeds are deformed - they have lost the embryo, in place of which there is a depression.

Millet in the early stages of growth has a slow rate of development and is afraid of weeds, so crops should be weeded or used clean, uncultivated land-virgin land or fallow land, because millet makes good use of the fertility accumulated in them. The contamination of grain stocks with the seeds of white marijuana, which could have got into them during harvesting, indicates that the fields were clogged and indicates that intensive farming was carried out in the area of ancient settlements on old arable lands. The growing season of millet is 50-80 days for early - maturing varieties and 100-200 days for late - maturing varieties. According to the anatomical structure of the root system, it is a typical xerophytic plant. The assimilation capacity of millet roots is better than that of wheat and barley. This is one of the most low-demand plants for moisture, able to tolerate severe dehydration of tissues. Even if the moisture content in the soil is close to dead, millet roots

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they are able to extract it. Nevertheless, this crop is responsive to irrigation. On non-irrigation lands, only the almost complete absence of precipitation in the second half of summer prevented two crops from being harvested per year. The average yield is considered to be 20-25 c / ha. All this made millet one of the most convenient for cultivating cereals in arid steppes and semi-deserts [Rastenevodstvo, 1967, p.79].

There are reports of millet cultivation in the South Kazakhstan region by medieval Arabic-speaking and European authors, and although this evidence is more recent, it reflects an established practice. Yakubi notes that " there are no farmers in Turkestan except those who sow millet." Al-Omari writes about the Kipchaks who lived in the Syr Darya and in the foothills of Karatau: "...they have few crops, and wheat and barley are the least, while beans are almost impossible to find. Most often they have millet, they live on it, and in terms of the products of the earth, it is the main food." Plano Carpini (13th century) reports about the Central Asian nomads-Mongols that "they cook millet with water" [Travel..., 1993, p.32]. The Russian ambassador V. Kobyakov, who traveled to Turkestan in 1695 - the headquarters of the Tauke Khan-notes a more diverse set of cereals in the district of this Syrdarya city: "Tevke Khan will have many varieties of bread, wheat, barley, millet, and loaves are sown for winter and spring crops" [Past of Kazakhstan..., 1997, p. 165]. According to the Russian traveler A. I. Levshin (the first third of the XIX century), millet was the main grain plant of the Kazakh farmer [1996, p.205].

Barley. The most common in barley crops was double-row filmy (Hordeum vulgare distichum) with symmetrical grains and shallow grooves extending to the top. Even taking into account the corresponding adjustments for reduction during charring, the grains found are smaller in size than in modern barley. Fine-grained varieties were cultivated, which was due to the dry climate and poor soils. Loose-leaved species with elongated grains predominated, with an index of the length - to-width ratio of 1.7-2.2. Barley requires slightly more moisture than millet, but less than wheat. Due to early sowing (it is not demanding of heat) and early ripening (80-100 days), it uses spring moisture reserves and is not afraid of summer droughts and dry winds, which determines its higher yield in comparison with wheat in the southern regions.

Wheat. The studied grains in terms of length to width can be divided into three groups: 1) 28 grains have an index of 1.6 - 2, inherent in soft wheat - Triticum aestivum; 2) in 17 it ranges from 1.1 to 1.5, which corresponds to dwarf wheat - Tr. compactum; 3) one grain has an almost round shape,which is similar to the size of a small grain. characteristic of round wheat - Tr. sphaeroccum.

Modern wheat grains have slightly larger indices. The difference is explained by the fact that when the grain is charred, it shortens and expands. Dwarf wheat has a short and dense ear and, accordingly, small, short and wide grains, sometimes approaching rounded ones. This grain produces less bran when ground, because the surface of the ball is the smallest compared to the surfaces of bodies of the same volume, but of a different shape. Dwarf wheat differs from soft short and resistant to lodging straw, which gives it advantages in highly fertile soils, where it does not lie down. Such conditions are met by virgin and newly developed fallow lands. Dwarf wheat also has precocity, drought resistance and unpretentiousness. Compared to soft wheat, its yields are smaller, but more stable over the years.

The studied grains of dwarf and soft wheat are small and similar in size to the most fine-grained modern varieties of these species. They reflect the existence of mixed crops of Triticum aestivum and Tr. compactum, where their spontaneous hybridization took place, as evidenced by grains with a transition index of 1.5. Plants of mixed populations should have the same biological properties, primarily simultaneous maturation, which is important during harvesting. From a genetic point of view, both wheat species have a hexaploid set of chromosomes and the AABBDD genome. A number of researchers consider dwarf wheat as one of the subspecies of soft wheat (Tr. aestivum subsp. compactum) [Zohary and Hopf, 1994, p. 47]. It is interesting that mixed crops of these species existed in the Middle Ages and in other regions remote from Central Asia and Kazakhstan: in Germany, Poland, Novgorod, and Transnistria [Yanushevich, 1976, pp. 87-92].

Peas. It is represented in all the studied layers on both sites. By the 9th-10th centuries, pea cultivation became more important than before. The seeds are carbonized, devoid of shell and have an irregular spherical shape. This indicates that the fire affected not fully ripened and dried peas, but still retained some moisture. The root is often lost, the diameter of the peas is 3.5-4 mm, before charring it could be 4.2 - 5 mm. The size of the seeds of modern peas is in the range of 3.5 - 10 mm. The studied seeds belonged to the small-seeded subspecies Pisum sativum subsp. asiaticum, cultivated in Western and Central Asia (Zhukovsky, 1964, p. 333). Peas have high requirements for moisture: for seed germination, it requires 100-150% of the seed weight; the highest

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harvests are taken when the soil moisture is close to optimal-80% of the soil moisture capacity, so in the Arys Valley it could be grown only on the basis of artificial irrigation. Peas are a good precursor for many crops, because they synthesize nitrogen in the air, and their root system dissolves hard-to-reach phosphates, which could have been used by medieval farmers to restore soil fertility after cereals.

In the materials of the IX-X centuries obtained at the Juvan-tobe settlement in 2004, other cultivated legumes are also represented, in particular chash and table lentils. Light carbonation and arid conditions of the region allowed not only the seeds of the latter, but also the fruit pods to survive.

Mash (golden bean - Phaseolus aureus) is currently cultivated in Central Asia as the main food legume plant under the condition of artificial irrigation. Its seeds contain 25% protein, 50% carbohydrates and 1.5% fatty oils. It is also used for green fertilizer.

Grape. Draws attention to the large number of its seeds (seeds). Morphologically, they are divided into two groups: smaller rounded (wine varieties) and larger and elongated (table varieties). The bones were preserved in a carbonized state. According to the well-known botanist P. M. Zhukovsky, the region is included in the distribution area of wild grapes and in the zone of introduction to the culture of this species. Cultivated grapes were not imported to the region from outside and come from the wild Vitis silvestris, whose northern distribution boundary is the nearby Karatau Mountains, where they are confined to the sites of ancient settlements [Ibid., p. 568] and were introduced to culture by their inhabitants. P. M. Zhukovsky believes that there are very few and very few wine varieties in Central Asia. wine is made from kishmish and table varieties, but at the same time in the Western Tien Shan there are wild grapes, like wine. The disappearance of wine varieties can be attributed to the spread of Islam and the prohibition of drinking wine. Since then, breeding has been focused on obtaining varieties for making raisins and canteens. They were used as a source of sugar, but this happened later.

Wild and weed plant species can be used to assess the degree of anthropogenic impact on nature. Water pepper and other species of the buckwheat family, which prefer moist habitats and grow on the banks of water bodies, were found on Karaspan-tob (layers of the IV-V centuries). Their presence indicates sufficient humidity in the area of the settlement. In the layers of the seventh century. no fruits of such plants have yet been found on Juvan-tob, and only one seed has been found in the layer of the IX-X centuries, which is explained either by the peculiarities of the formation of cultural layers on the monument, or by the distance of water sources (the river drainage). Arys to the north) and shrinking landscapes. This may also be due to the lack of moisture-loving rice in the upper layers.

Field sparrow - a plant characteristic of pasture meadows, its presence indicates grazing in the area of ancient settlements. Camel thorn is a wild species of arid areas, prefers sandy soils. Viper onion is a plant of dry habitats. It, like the black elderberry, is among the ruderal ones that grow in abandoned places exposed to anthropogenic impact. Mar belaya is a cosmopolitan weed that grows in landfills, excavated soil, and ruins.

Archaeobotanical studies conducted on medieval settlements in the Arys River valley allowed us to reconstruct the features of agriculture and anthropogenic influence on natural landscapes. The remains of weedy herbaceous and shrubby vegetation are evidence of long-term sedimentation and anthropogenic impact on natural habitats. The presence of buckwheat family species in the cultural layers of monuments located in the arid semi-desert zone, growing in moist habitats, indicates artificial irrigation, which is confirmed by the presence of traces of irrigation systems. Agriculture was based on the cultivation of barley, millet, wheat, and rice.

List of literature

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The article was submitted to the Editorial Board on 21.02.07.

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