The Role of Morphometry to Delineate Changes in the Spikelet Shape of Wild Cereals: The Case Study of Takarkori (Holocene, Central Sahara, SW Libya)

morphometrical study of hundreds of spikelets recovered from archaeological deposits of Takarkori (SW Libya) provides data on the presence and size variations of wild cereals gathered by hunter-gatherers in the central Sahara during the Early and Middle Holocene (c. 10,200–c. 4600 cal yr BP). Spikelets of Panicum laetum, Echinochloa colona and Sorghum bicolor subsp. verticilliflorum, found in 18 seed/fruit concentrations, are measured using image analysis techniques. These data demonstrate that the archaeobotanical specimens have a similar typology, maturity stage and are of a uniform size, suggesting that they were selected by the human groups living in the area. Indeed, the spikelets of two samples recovered from sediments excavated elsewhere on the site compared to those from the seed concentrations, show a smaller size and greater variation in maturation status. Results are compared to metrical data obtained from modern species.