ABSTRACT
Reconstructing a picture of agriculture in Early and Middle Islamic Bilad al-Qadim based upon a few carbonised fragments of plant material is impossible. However, as it was possible to identify barley and wheat (including Einkorn wheat) within the available samples, as well as two date stones, their presence must be accounted for. Yet here we have to contend with the limited comparative assemblages. In this respect, Nesbitt (1993:40) has made the cogent point that comparative plant remains from archaeological sites are few in number from the northern Gulf, hence limiting overall discussion. Similar sentiments are echoed by Tengberg (2003:229) who describes how within Eastern Arabia “few excavations have included an actual archaeobotanical programme and much of what we know about the relationship between humans and the plant world is based rather on fortuitous finds than on systematically sampled remains”. This is certainly the case for the Islamic period in this area though an exception to this is provided by the botanical remains recovered from Kush (Sasanian and Islamic), the crop plants from which are described as including barley, wheat, dates, lentils and olives (Kennet 1997:297).
