“City, Crops, and Chemistry,” a Flash Talk given by Laura Motta on Friday, March 4, 2022.

Intensification of agricultural production to support demographic growth has always been seen as a necessary correlate to the emergence of the first cities. A new substantial archaeobotanical dataset from three early urban settlements in Central Italy—Rome, Gabii, and Tarquinia—allows the investigation of crop production and farming practices during the transitional period between the 8th and the 6th centuries BCE. This research uses a multi-proxy approach that integrates archaeobotanical data with carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses (∆13C and δ15N) on charred cereal grains to reconstruct crop husbandry regimes.

Kelsey Museum Flash Talks are 15-minute Zoom lectures by Kelsey curators, staff members, researchers, and graduate students talking about their recent research or current projects. Each presentation is followed by 15 minutes of Q&A. Flash Talks are free and open to all visitors. They take place at noon on the first Friday of every month.