The visibility of rural settlement hierarchy in plant remains, the case of first and second century sites in Oss, the Netherlands

Abstract

Rural settlements that were inhabited during the first and second century CE north of the present town of Oss, the Netherlands, were arranged in clusters. Within each cluster, settlements were not of equal size and importance, but show a distinct hierarchy with a single central place at the top of the ladder. The inequality in rank is also visible in the plant remains retrieved during the excavation of these sites. The central places are characterised by a number of food plants with a background in Roman cookery. These are lacking in the other settlements. The only plant with a Mediterranean origin found outside the central places is chard, a leafy vegetable that resembles plants which traditionally were gathererd from the wild. This plant might have been adopted more readily by people who did not belong to the local elite.