196 EVI MARgARITIS
enrichment of the dietary routine as it contains high levels of proteins and
vitamins, and is considered an important substitute for meat in many areas of
the world (Langer and Hill 1991 ). Its straw is also useful as animal fodder, supe-
rior to other pulses (Murray 2000 ). The role of bitter vetch is more ambiguous
as its regular consumption by humans can result in specific medical disorders
(Flint-Hamilton 1999 ). Because of this, bitter vetch has been used widely as
fodder (Halstead and Jones 1989 ). However, it is possible to process it to neu-
tralise its toxic properties (Flint-Hamilton 1999 ) and its use in the human diet
has not been excluded for Neolithic and Bronze Age Greece (Valamoti 2004 ) ,
while the value of legumes when grown in rotation with cereals has been well
presented elsewhere (Sarpaki 1992 ). It is possible that the same prevailed at
Platania and a rotation scheme would be feasible for the farming regimes at
this site.
Coming to the wild/weed category of the assemblage, Jones ( 1984 ) has
shown that it is possible to recreate the crop processing sequence according to
their physical characteristics and determine what kind of domestic activities
were followed in the site. Following the categories provided by Jones ( 1987 ) ,
the species found at Platania are indicative of the later stages of processing
activities undertaken at the site (Margaritis forthcoming: 63–4). The major-
ity of them represent weeds on arable land (Hanf 1983 ) entering the site with
the harvest of various crops. In addition, it is possible that that species such
as medic and lupines were gathered for animal fodder. Lupine can be used as
green manure, forage plants or for fodder, mainly for cattle (Gladstones 1974 ).
Because of the limited number of lupines found in the assemblage and their
fragmentary state, it was not possible to determine if they were weeds asso-
ciated with the cultivation of crops or they actually represented a cultivated
legume. Today in some parts of Greece, mainly in the Mani in the Peloponnese,
they are grown as a crop and eaten after dangerous water-soluble and bitter
alkaloids have been removed by boiling or roasting (Zohary and Hopf 2000 ).
If cultivated, they could have been intended either for human consumption
or for fodder. Only christ’s thorn seeds did not enter the site as a by-product
of crop processing. Being a hedge plant, it may have been used for fuel or for
other purposes, such as the building of enclosures (Foxhall 1998a), or its seeds
may have been dried for human or animal consumption.
Grape is present in the majority of the samples in varying quantities, prob-
ably indicating both consumption and wine making. Grape pips were present
in pure concentrations, occasionally numbering thousands, found at the east
side of the building (Margaritis forthcoming: 55–8). As was suggested for the
remains at Kompoloi, this assemblage can be interpreted as the by-products of
wine making, either utilised as fuel or representing residues kept as fertiliser or
fodder that was accidentally burned.