Daniel Fuks

We analysed the spatio-temporal dynamics of Phoenix dactylifera (date palm) agrobiodiversity in the Negev desert, southern Levant, from the 3rd c. bce to the 10th c. ce. We applied linear measurements and Elliptic Fourier Descriptors to 2294 archaeological seeds from nine sites, and compared them with a modern reference collection of wild and cultivated Phoenix and previously published archaeological assemblages from Egypt and Libya. Seeds from the best-preserved assemblages were statistically indistinguishable in size from modern cultivated varieties and significantly larger than wild specimens. Across the Negev, 71% of seeds were assigned to the domesticated-type morphology, and shape analysis revealed a progressive shift from more rounded morphologies in the Hellenistic–Early Roman period (57% domesticated-type at Mezad Rahel) toward predominantly elongated forms in the Early Islamic period (> 75%). This shift did not narrow overall diversity: all 12 morphotypes defined from the modern reference were present in both the earliest and latest large assemblages. Regional differences were also marked: Arabah Valley sites showed broad morphotype diversity and exceptionally large seeds, consistent with active local cultivation. Negev Highlands sites, by contrast, showed reduced diversity and a concentration of highly elongated morphotypes associated with African cultivars, more consistent with the circulation of selected date types through trade networks. The Negev record forms part of a supraregional trajectory of morphological change also documented in Egypt and Libya, reflecting the progressive reshaping of cultivated date palm diversity under human management long after initial domestication.