 |
 |
Dear Lena, I agree with Johannes. These look like specimens that I see here in the eastern U.S. that are naturally occurring in the soil that are related to fungi. I believe they are called sclerotia. They are black in color and are not necessarily charred. When dissected they reveal a black or brownish/black solid interior with some texture depending on the specimen. There is no evident internal seed structure. Tonya Largy, M.A. Archaeobotany Consultant Wayland, Massachusetts U.S.A. jbg.walter wrote: > > Dear Lena, > > What about the inner structure of these objects? Check also > truffles/fungi – (They are very diverse.) > > Best, > > Johannes Walter > > -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht----- > *Von:* The archaeobotany mailing list > [mailto:[log in to unmask]] *Im Auftrag von *Sergusheva Lena > *Gesendet:* Montag, 08. Februar 2010 01:49 > *An:* [log in to unmask] > *Betreff:* unidentified seeds > > Dear colleagues, I need your help. Now I am working with the seed's > collection from Medieval settelment from Southern part of Primorye > area of Russia (Far East of Russia, on the border with China). And > among a great number of seeds of cultural plants I found a lot of > seeds which I can not identify. I have no idea what are these seeds. > They have no certain form. Some of them are roundish or oval. The part > of them has triangular section, others – oval. Size is about > 3.5-2.4-2.1mm or less. They look like Polygonatum sp.(I sow the photo > of its seeds in "Seeds and fruits of Japan" by Shigeo Ishikava, Tokyo > 1994). But I am not sure and I have not reference seeds for comparing. > Any ideas are wellcome. Lena SERGUSHEVA PhD, reseacher Department of > Prehistory Archaeology Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnology > Far Eastern Branche of Russian Academy of Sciencies Pushkinskaya Str., > 89, Vladivostok, 690650, RUSSIA >