The analysis of plant remains sheds light on how the rise in military presence in the arid regions of southern Jordan and Israel during the Roman and Byzantine periods influenced agricultural production. Archaeobotanical evidence from Aila, Humayma, Bir Madhkur, and Yotvata confirms local agricultural activity during these periods. The discovery of cereal grains, legumes, crop by-products (e.g., chaff, culm, and rachis segments), and weeds typical of crop fields indicates successful local agriculture in this arid region in ancient times. Despite the stable environmental conditions in southern Jordan and Israel since the Roman and Byzantine periods, these sites are either surrounded by ancient agricultural fields or exhibit evidence of historical local production. This suggests that water management techniques in antiquity were more advanced than currently acknowledged, as modern cereal agriculture is absent in these areas today. These findings highlight the landscape changes due to the necessary local agricultural production to support the increased Roman military presence and illustrate the potential of dry-land agricultural techniques in arid environments.
The Frederick R. and Margaret B. Matson Lectureship for Near Eastern Archaeology and Archaeological Technology
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