Forest and Agricultural Dynamics in the Haouz Plain over the Last Millennium: Archaeobotanical and Isotopic Research at Aghmat (Morocco)

Over the last millennium, the town of Aghmat (Morocco) has undergone major socio-economic changes, raising the question of how these transformations have affected the development of agricultural systems and exploited landscapes over time. This preliminary pilot study brings together for the first time carpological, anthracological, and isotopic results from the Aghmat archaeological program that show a certain stability for staple productions (cereals, fruit) over the last millennium, and the exploitation of various landscapes. A shift appears to occur during the late Middle Ages, potentially due to more favorable conditions, with a specialization in olive cultivation as early as the fourteenth century, and significant deforestation following this olive growing boom. During the modern period, the importance of olive cultivation is confirmed, whether or not in conjunction with a decline in water availability and what appears to be irreversible deforestation.