Reassessing the origin of lentil cultivation in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic of Southwest Asia: new evidence from carbon isotope analysis at Gusir Höyük

Abstract Lentils represent the most common pulse crop found in Southwest Asian Neolithic archaeobotanical assemblages. Using carbon isotope determinations and palaeoclimatic modelling this paper investigates variability change through time lentil growth habitats at Gusir Höyük, a Pre-Pottery habitation site Upper Tigris basin of southeast Anatolia dated to 12th 11th millennia cal bp . The elevated values from samples ~ 10,500–10,300 possibly points greater water availability potential onset cultivation Höyük during Early B. revisits previous hypotheses about process timing initial domestication region re-evaluation materials available other sites SW Asia. Its findings highlight important role wild populations growing higher-rainfall localities, which may have responded more readily increasing context early cultivation. It also explores offered by isotopic approaches for detecting cultivation, highlighting need future studies on cereal progenitors Asia beyond.