An initial key of starch grains from edible plants of the Eastern Mediterranean for use in identifying archaeological starches

Among archaeological micro-remains, starches can be used as a tool for reconstructing past environments, diets, and trade patterns through the identification of plants collected consumed by ancient populations. Starch grains preserved in dental calculus on stone tools have been recovered from material sites around world. However, ability to identify starch relies having broad (i.e., many taxa) deep individuals same taxon) reference collection modern plants. Only small handful such collections published, thus far none created taxa Eastern Mediterranean. This region is rich that their starch-rich seeds roots since prehistory, wild are progenitors domesticated species were cultivated Neolithic remain economically important today. To help document history human interactions with these plant taxa, we present here based analysis 220 individual parts (e.g., seeds, tubers) 188 Levantine (both domestic), three non-native frequently found contamination. Of examined samples, 110 106 (species subspecies) contained starches. We also provide key this aid remains.