Innovation: turn something old into something new: Vicia faba var. major

The 16th century was a period of fundamental changes and transformations that revolutionized many aspects of life. Several innovations were also made in different areas, including agriculture: the Age of Exploration was already started and new plants were introduced from new continents to the Old World. But were these innovations exclusively linked with the new species or were they also connected to a process of finding better solutions on “old” species to fulfill new needs? This paper discusses the results of an archaeobotanical study carried out on three medieval sites in southern Italy, focused on faba bean charred remains that have been investigated through biometrical analysis. Data collected show a gradual increase in cotyledons size and allow us to speculate about a possible transition period (12th cent. - 16th cent.) in which a selection from a smaller, ancient faba bean (<i>Vicia faba</i> var. <i>minor</i>) to the bigger, more recent one (<i>Vicia faba</i> var. <i>major</i>), started. This process may indicates that not only new plants were introduced during the 16th century but also that ancient species (faba bean) were subjected to new cultivar selection.