Plant Remains from Nhơn Thành: Preliminary Insights from an Óc Eo Site in the Lower Mekong Delta

NGUYỄN Hoàng Bách Linh1* and Cristina Castillo2

Analyses of plant remains from the 2023 excavation at Nhơn Thành, an inland habitation site of the Óc Eo culture in the Lower Mekong Delta, provide the first archaeobotanical evidence of plant use at the site. Its most intensive occupation dates to between the late third and mid-sixth centuries AD. Preliminary analysis of the assemblage shows that Cucurbitaceae seeds dominate, indicating the importance of several taxa from the Cucumis taxa (e.g., gourds, cucumbers, and melons). Other cultivated plants include legumes (Vigna sp., Vigna cf. radiata) and Coix lacryma-jobi, suggesting established agriculture. Several taxa indicate wider botanical connections, including cardamom (Elettaria cf. cardamomum), Pistacia, Choerospondias, Calendula arvensis, and Coriandrum sativum. The presence of Musa spp. corresponds with Southeast Asia’s role as a centre of banana domestication and Gossypium sp. indicates textile-related activities. Wild and weedy plants (e.g., Cleome cf. viscosa, Solanum spp.; Arecaceae) indicate that plants were also used medicinally, not just as food. The plant remains indicate connections between Óc Eo and other regions of Asia, as some taxa derive from Indian and Western Asian domesticates. Morphological analysis of rice grains, particularly the length-to-width (L/W) ratio, confirms the coexistence of both indica and japonica varieties, with indica strongly predominant across cultural layers. Possible wild rice remains have also been identified. Together, these data indicate diverse plant use and a varied rice crop portfolio, reflecting a mixed subsistence system within the Óc Eo cultural sphere and providing an important reference for comparative studies of ancient crops in Southeast Asia.