Innovation: turning something old into something new. Vicia faba var. major.

The 16th century was a period of fundamental change and transformation that revolutionized many aspects of life. Innovations were seen in a range of areas, including agriculture: the Age of Exploration had already started and new plants were being introduced from the New World to the Old. From an archaeobotanical point of view, however, were these innovations exclusively linked to the introduction of new plant species or could they also be attributed to a process of finding ways for ‘old’ species to fulfil new needs? If so, how can such innovations be identified using plant remains? This paper attempts to answer these questions with reference to biometric and shape analyses of charred remains of Vicia faba (broad bean) specimens (152 seeds) collected from five archaeological sites located in south-east Puglia (Italy) dated to a range of periods. The geographical homogeneity and chronological separation of the data are expected to enable recognition of any improvements/enhancements suggested by the shape and/or size of the crop investigated. The data reveal the presence in the analysed assemblage of two different morphotypes, chronologically separated by the 12th century. A secondary feature is a gradual increase in the cotyledon size of the more recent morphotype. This paper discusses a possible transition period, from the 12th to the 16th centuries, in which selective breeding led to a new faba cultivar (Vicia faba var. major) in the Salento area.