Plant diversity from latrines in Al-Andalus, Iberia: archaeobotanical evidence of diet in the 10th–12th centuries.

Abstract

During the Islamic period (8th–15th centuries ce), the Iberian Peninsula emerged as a vibrant cultural crossroads, where Islamic influence reshaped farming and the economy. Latrines, cesspits and sewers, often overlooked in archaeological investigations, have proven to be rich repositories of organic remains, including seeds and fruits. These materials provide archaeobotanists with valuable insights into the diet, farming practices and biodiversity of the period. This study investigates the presence and diversity of plant remains preserved in Islamic latrines in Al-Andalus in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, a type of context that has been little researched so far. Analysis of these remains offers a unique perspective on daily life, farming and cultural interactions within these communities. This article discusses the plant remains from five archaeological sites in the region dated between the 10th and the 12th centuries ce. The samples yielded over 50,000 remains, including 25 cultivated taxa. Among these, previously unrecorded fruit trees such as Citrus sp. were identified, along with garden plants and spices including carrots, coriander, fennel and cumin. In addition, several wild plant taxa were found, and insect remains including Diptera (flies) and Curculionidae (weevils) were also recovered.