Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Archaeological Science journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jas Documenting the history of the grapevine and viticulture: A quantitative eco-anatomical perspective applied to modern and archaeological charcoal Bertrand Limier a,b,∗ , Sarah Ivorra b , Laurent Bouby b , Isabel Figueiral b,c , Lucie Chabal b , Manon Cabanis d , Mohammed Ater e , Thierry Lacombe f , Jérôme Ros b,g , Laurent Brémond b , Jean-Frédéric Terral b,∗∗ a Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, 2 place P. Viala, 34060, Montpellier, France b Institut des Sciences de l’Evolution de Montpellier - Université de Montpellier / CNRS / IRD / EPHE, place E. Bataillon, 34090, Montpellier Cedex 5, France c Institut National de Recherche Archéologique Préventive Méditerranée, 3 rue de l’Acropole, Lot. Actipolis, 34420, Villeneuve-les-Béziers, France d Institut National de Recherche Archéologique Préventive Rhône-Alpes Auvergne UMR 6042, Université Clermont Auvergne, 4 rue Ledru, 63057, Clermont-Ferrand Cedex 1, France e Laboratoire Botanique Appliquée, Equipe Bio-Agrodiversité, Département de Biologie, Faculté des Sciences, Université Abdelmalek Essaâdi. BP 2062, 93030, Tétouan, Morocco f AGAP, Université Montpellier, CIRAD, INRA, Montpellier SupAgro, 2 place P. Viala, 34060, Montpellier Cedex 2, France g Casa de Velasquez, Ciudad Universitaria, C/ Paul Guinard 3, 28040, Madrid, Spain ARTICLEINFO Keywords: Vitis vinifera L. Archaeobotany Wood charcoal anatomy Eco-anatomy Wild vs. cultivated-domesticated ABSTRACT The history of the grapevine and viticulture is well documented by an extensive and rich corpus of textual, iconographic, archaeological, archaeobotanical and morphometric data. However, until now, grapevine charcoal remains from archaeological contexts were largely underexploited. In this study we describe the development of a quantitative anatomical method which aims to discriminate between the wild and cultivated grapevines based on a reference collection of modern individuals. The plasticity of grapevine anatomical characters was quantifed in relation to maturity or age of wood and environmental conditions. For the frst time, quantitative eco-ana- tomical features of charcoal from archaeological sites (South of France, Bronze Age - Modern Period) were compared to the reference models established beforehand. This procedure allowed us to identify the status (wild or cultivated-domesticated) of certain sub-fossil samples. Our results complement data from archaeobotany and from traditional and geometric morphometric analyses of Vitis pips. They confrm the collection/use of the wild grapevine during the Bronze Age and the exploitation of cultivated forms on coastal or near coastal sites (Mediterranean), from the Iron Age up to the Modern Period. Furthermore, the question of an early grapevine cultivation (5th c. BCE) in regions away from the sea is raised for the frst time. 1. Introduction The grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) is one the most ancient, emblematic and charismatic perennial crops of the Mediterranean world, whose complex history is indelibly intertwined with that of Human societies and civilizations, vine growing and wine making. Within the Vitis vinifera species (grapevine), two sub-species can be distinguished: (1) the wild grapevine (Vitis vinifera L. subsp. sylvestris (Gmelin) Hegi) (Fig. 1a) which now grows sporadically over a large area, from the south of the Caspian Sea to the Atlantic coast of Europe (Arnold et al., 1998). This heliophilous, perennial and deciduous liana has a preference for open woodland areas and cool humid conditions, such as riparian forests (Arnold et al., 1998, 2005). It reproduces via vegetative (layering) and sexual propagation. The survival of the wild grapevine is now threatened by pathogens and human activity. (2) the cultivated-domesticated grapevine (Vitis vinifera L. subsp. vini- fera Hegi DC) (Fig. 1b) which evolved from the domestication of the wild species (Zohary, 1995; Aradhya et al., 2003; Arroyo-Garcia et al., 2006). The characteristics of domestication (“domestication syndrome”) are revealed on the phenotype, particularly on fower, fruit and seed (This et al., 2006; Terral et al., 2010; Picq et al., 2014). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2018.10.001 Received 26 March 2018; Received in revised form 2 October 2018; Accepted 2 October 2018 ∗ Corresponding author. Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, 2 place P. Viala, 34060, Montpellier, France. ∗∗ Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: bertrand.limier@umontpellier.fr (B. Limier), jean-frederic.terral@umontpellier.fr (J.-F. Terral). Journal of Archaeological Science 100 (2018) 45–61 0305-4403/ © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. T