Meiul (Panicum miliaceum L.) În Economia Și Alimentaţia Medievală Din Oltenia. Date Istorice Și Arheobotanice Privind Consumul De Mei

The paper presents the exceptional discovery of a late medieval storage pit containing mineralized millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) seeds, unearthed at the Gârlești archaeological site (Dolj County, Romania). The study integrates archaeological, archaeobotanical, and taphonomic analyses to reconstruct the pit’s structure, storage functionality, and preservation mechanisms. The mineralization process, rarely documented in southeastern Europe, is interpreted as phosphatic fossilization within a closed, anaerobic microenvironment. In addition to the material evidence, the interpretation also draws upon written sources of contemporary travelers and relevant historical and archaeobotanical studies, which provide a broader cultural and economic framework for understanding medieval subsistence practices. The discovery provides valuable insights into medieval agricultural practices, food storage strategies, and the symbolic and economic role of millet before the introduction of maize in the 18th century. Comparative analogies with European finds underline both the rarity and the significance of this context for medieval archaeobotany in Romania.