Carbonized Corn Kernel
Maize, or corn, was domesticated some 5,500 years ago in the subtropical regions of Central America, especially in Mexico, and slowly expanded northward until it reached Ontario in the 6th Century (Middle Woodland period 200 - 300 B.C. to A.D. 700 - 900). In the two to three centuries after it was introduced to the St. Lawrence valley by the Iroquoians, all the Iroquoian groups in the north began cultivating corn near their dwellings. Demographics, the clan system, relations among groups and many other aspects of people's lives were all permanently transformed by the introduction of this plant.
This is a composite of images taken with a light microscope using 2x objective lens.
Maize originate from a wild indigenous grass called teosinte. Charred kernels and cob fragments such as the ones depicted here indicate that the inhabitants of these sites were consuming Eastern Eight Row maize. Kernels are large and kidney shaped while the cobs display eight rows of cupules.
Other domesticated plants, such as beans and squash, increased in significance as supplements to the more traditional foods such as deer, fish, and wild plants during the Late Woodland Period.
To learn more about Corn in Archaeology visit: CORN-UCOPIA and The Story of Corn