Pulse of the Past: a ground stone tools perspective on the significance of legumes at the Pre Pottery Neolithic site of Kharaysin (Jordan)

Ground stone tools are considered prime evidence for exploring significant aspects of prehistoric societies, particularly concerning plant food processing. For this reason, studying their use can reveal relevant clues concerning the modes of exploitation of specific plants and highlight local and shared culinary practices. This paper presents the first functional study of the ground stone tools from the Pre Pottery Neolithic site of Kharaysin in Jordan. Excavation at the site yielded significant information on the habits and lifestyle of the early Neolithic communities inhabiting the site between the end of the 10th millennium and the middle of the 8th millennium BC. Among this wealth of evidence, of particular interest is the relevant role suggested by the archaeobotanical record, played by legumes at Kharaysin. We further investigate this aspect through the functional analysis of ground stone tools, carried out through the combination of use-wear, residues and 3D surface texture analyses. We identified three use-wear patterns associated with the working of legumes and cereal grains, which provided detailed information on the gestures performed and the species of worked plant. The qualitative and quantitative use-wear data have been coupled with the analysis of plant micro remains identified on the analysed tools, further strengthening our functional interpretations. The results from our study further support the importance that legumes have had at Kharaysin, also shedding more light on the relevance of these plant foods in the diet and daily life of the first Neolithic farming communities in Southwest Asia.