Domestic activities and spatial distribution in Ain Abū Nukhayla (Wadi Rum, Southern Jordan): The use of phytoliths and spherulites studies

The Pre-Pottery Neolithic B site of Ayn Abū Nukhayla (Wadi Rum, Jordan) contains structural installations (loci) composed of inter-connected oval, rock-walled, pithouses. Questions that arose from their study centered on how to identify possible herding and agricultural activities and to assess any differences in how the loci were used. The combined study of phytoliths and spherulites identified from different loci are presented here.The results of quantitative, morphologic and morphometric analyses of phytoliths and spherulites identified in the different loci are discussed. Cereal processing is evident in some loci by the concentration of the inflorescent parts of festucoid grass phytoliths associated with the presence of handstones and querns. These loci appear to have encompassed specific areas in which domestic activities, including the grinding of cereals and the preparation of other plant resources, were undertaken. In contrast, other loci (such as Locus 20) seem to have been used as pens for herd animals (sheep/goats) as indicated by very high densities of spherulites. The results of this study provide new insights on plant uses, herding practices, and the economic diversity of Early Neolithic communities in the Levant.