Analysis of Plant Remains from a Pre-colonial Agricultural Site in Bauchi State

Archaeobotanical analysis provides direct evidence for prehistoric and historic farming practices, crop selection, and human-environment interaction, yet the discipline remains underutilized in Nigerian archaeology relative to its analytical potential. This study analyses plant macroremains, including charred seeds, chaff, and wood charcoal, recovered from flotation samples collected during a test excavation at a pre-colonial agricultural site in Bauchi State. The site was identified through surface ceramic distributions and a low mound topography consistent with intensive occupation, located within the Guinea Savanna zone of central Nigeria. Flotation processing of twenty-three samples yielded identifiable plant material including sorghum, pearl millet, cowpea, and baobab seed fragments, alongside a diverse charcoal assemblage dominated by locally common woodland tree taxa. The dominance of sorghum and millet in the assemblage is consistent with the documented pre-colonial agricultural economy of the Jos-Bauchi region, while the presence of cowpea confirms legume cultivation as a complementary protein source. Weed taxa identified alongside the crop assemblage suggest cultivation in seasonally flooded lowland fields, providing evidence for microhabitat-specific land use. The study situates its findings within recent archaeobotanical research from Burkina Faso and northern Ghana that documents analogous crop assemblages from comparable savanna agricultural communities. It recommends expanded flotation sampling in future excavations and investment in seed reference collections at Nigerian university archaeology departments. Keywords: archaeobotany, Bauchi State, agricultural archaeology, sorghum, millet.