Morphological diversity of the Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) from Oxus civilization 4000 BP, Central Asia

Abstract

The region of Transoxiana underwent an early agricultural-demographic transition, leading to the emergence of the earliest proto-urban centers in Central Asia. However, the development of horticulture activity aspects of this cultural shift remain poorly understood, particularly regarding the role and place of long-generation nativity fruit trees, such as Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia), in the horticulture system. In this research, we conduct a systematic modern carbonization experiment on Russian olive seeds, present directly AMS ¹⁴C dated result, and use geometric morphometric methods to analyze the carbonized Russian olive seeds from the early community of Sapalli Tepa in southern Uzbekistan. The results show that the deformation during carbonization had minimal impact on the morphology of the seeds. The Russian olive seeds found at Sapalli Tepa include two types: Elaeagnus angustifolia and Elaeagnus angustifolia var. orientalis, both showing no signs of domestication. This suggests that the Russian olive in Bronze Age Southern Central Asia was not subjected to intensive selection by local people, and its sources may have included both cultivation and wild collection.