Useful Wild Plants in Sudan: Integrating Archaeobotanical and Ethnobotanical Perspectives

Encompassing deserts, savannas, riverine environments and mountain landscapes, present-day Sudan is one of Northeast Africa’s most ecologically diverse and culturally dynamic regions. Linking sub-Saharan Africa to broader trans-Saharan, Nile Valley and Red Sea networks, this region has long served as a focal point for the interaction, movement, and cultural exchange of people, ideas, material culture and plants. Yet, despite the continued importance of this region, the archaeological and cultural record of Sudan remains uneven and, in many areas, relatively understudied. Within these diverse environments, wild plants have long been an important part of everyday life, whether as edible fruits, herbal plants, leafy greens or medicinal species. Despite the importance of useful wild plant species to both past societies and present-day communities, the role of these species is often overlooked, particularly in archaeobotanical research which has often focused on domesticated species and agricultural cultural contexts. However, recent archaeological work in Sudan increasingly highlights the need to better understand wild plant use, seasonal resource strategies, and human–environment interactions when discussing past subsistence and settlement strategies, and how populations maintained long-term adaptations within dynamic environments.This Research Topic therefore seeks to bring together innovative research on wild plant use, environmental archaeology, and human–landscape interactions in present-day Sudan. This volume brings together archaeobotanical and ethnobotanical studies to explore the use of wild plants across the region and to better understand the role of these species for food, medicine, craft production, and everyday life in the past and present.This Research Topic aims to:● Highlight Sudan as an important region for understanding how people and their environment have interacted in Northeast Africa.● Draw attention to the valuable but still limited archaeobotanical and ethnobotanical data coming from Sudan.● Create a space for Sudanese and international researchers to share work on wild plant use, landscape history, and climate-related adaptations.● Encourage comparisons with nearby regions such as the Middle East, North Africa, the Ethiopian highlands and the Sahel.Overall, the volume aims to bring together new and ongoing research on wild plant use in Sudan and to contribute to future archaeobotanical and ethnobotanical studies in the region.This Research Topic invites original research, review articles, methodological papers (identification, reference collections) and interdisciplinary contributions addressing topics such as:Archaeobotanical & Paleoenvironment● Studies of plant macroremains and microremains, including seeds, fruits, charcoal, phytoliths, starch granules and pollen. ● Research on past vegetation, wild plants in agricultural contexts, and strategies of wild plant use. Wild Plant Use, Subsistence, and Local Knowledge● Ethnobotanical studies of contemporary plant-use practices. ● Wild plants used for food, medicine, fodder, construction, and craft production.● Seasonal gathering, processing, storage, and use of wild plants.● The role of wild plants in diet, subsistence, and everyday life.● Local knowledge and its relevance for the interpretation of archaeological plant remains.Environment, Mobility, and Change● Mobility patterns and resource use in different ecological settings.● Human responses to droughts, floods, and other environmental changes.● Long-term interactions between people, plants, and landscapes.Methods and Interdisciplinary Approaches● Methodological studies on plant identification, reference collections, and archaeobotanical interpretation.● Interdisciplinary approaches combining archaeobotany, ethnobotany, environmental and landscape studies.This volume brings together studies that use methods from archaeobotany, ethnobotany, and environmental archaeology to better understand how wild plants have been used and managed in present-day Sudan. Because the region has diverse environments and long cultural histories, the study uses a combination of fieldwork, laboratory analysis, and local knowledge.1. Archaeobotanical FieldworkArchaeological sites are surveyed and excavated to recover plant remains preserved in different forms. These remains may include:● Seeds and fruits (macrobotanical remains)● Pollen grains and phytoliths preserved in sediments● Soil samples for environmental analysis.2. Identification and AnalysisRecovered plant materials are identified using:● Reference collections of modern seeds and plant parts● Microscopy for the study of pollen and other remains.3. Ethnobotanical ResearchTo understand how wild plants are used today and how knowledge is passed through generations, the study includes:● Interviews and conversations with local community members, including elders, gatherers, farmers, and pastoralists● Participant observation, documenting plant collection, food preparation, craft production, and medicinal practices Topic editors: Maha Kordofani, Mohammed Nasreldein, Charles Le Moyne Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/76172/useful-wild-plants-in-sudan-integrating-archaeobotanical-and-ethnobotanical-perspectives