Box of seeds

Now back to Böhl. Before we wrap up, there are some more miscellaneous objects that deserve a bit of special attention.

Let’s start with the big box of seeds that dominates this frame.

Before his Leiden years, professor Böhl was active in archaeological excavations in Palestine. The site of Tell Balata was identified as ancient Sichem, known from the Bible but also ancient Near Eastern sources going back to the second millennium BCE.

Archaeology is not always about finding treasure or pretty things. This box contains only burnt seeds that were left inside of a destroyed house in the ancient city of Sichem. They can be used to restore the diets of people, and even reconstruct the climate back in the day.

In order to sort the seeds from the surrounding dirt, archaeologists use a technique called flotation. They put the dirt in a barrel of water, and wait for the seeds to float to the surface so they can be scooped up with ease. The seeds are kept in a cigar box, which is likely its original transport container after the excavations in the 1920s. For the last few decades, the box of seeds has lived in the cabinet of the vault of the NINO.