Plants and Plant Food on the Failaka Island in the Late Islamic Period. Results of the First Archaeobotanical Investigations at the Kharaib al-Dasht Site (Kuwait)

This study examines plant-based foods, their production, foraging and trade, as well as the flora of Failaka Island during the Late Islamic period. Archaeobotanical analysis of charred food remains, fuels and domestic waste recovered from the sediments of the Kharaib al-Dasht site provides insights into the diet and subsistence economy of the island. The recovered seeds indicate the consumption of cultivated cereals, including free-threshing wheat, barley and rice, as well as fruits and berries such as date palm, grape and plum/cherry. While these staple food products could have been imported, archaeobotanical evidence suggests the local cultivation of wheat. Additionally, the recorded wild plants are characteristic of the island's xerophilous flora. These findings offer valuable material evidence for understanding the history of food consumption, trade and the environmental conditions of Failaka during the Late Islamic period.