Two row barley: all grains straight; grain uniformly long and slender (L : B about 1.80) -
Four row barley: many grains twisted at the grain base; smaller and bigger ones; grains
short and rounded (L : B below 1.80). Hordeum distichum is rare in prehistory! It will be
not possible to sort a mixture; but you can say: Predominantly two row or four row
barley, predominantly hulled or naked barley; other forms are present. - True six row
barley has very short ears and very round grains, more similar to bread wheat than to
barley! All these are not real species in the sense of Linné but forms of a super species.
So it is no wonder to find them in a mixed state! There are only small genetical
differences!
Datum: Sun, 4 May 2008 10:14:47 +0100
Antwort an: The archaeobotany mailing list
<[log in to unmask]>,
Merryn Dineley <[log in to unmask]>
Von: Merryn Dineley <[log in to unmask]>
Betreff: Two or six row?
An: [log in to unmask]
> Hello there, I have a question I have been wondering about a while
> now.
>
> How can you tell, from grains found during excavations, that it was a
> six row or a two row barley? What are the indicators?
>
> A few years ago we grew some bere in my garden as part of some
> experimental research and we got both six and two row growing side by
> side. I obtained the bere from the Corrigall Farm Museum, Orkney.
> Harry Flett had a field of it to demonstrate traditional crops and it
> was the same situation in their field, both types together.
>
> regards,
> Merryn
>
"-- "
Dr. Helmut Kroll
Institut für Ur- und Frühgeschichte der Universität, 24098 Kiel
Tel. 0431 880-3654; - 2338; Fax -7300
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