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Figure 3
Emmer wheat, ancient and modern. On the left are modern emmer spikelets and on the right, desiccated ancient Egyptian emmer spikelets, the resemblance is striking, highlighting the excellent preservation of organic remains in Egypt's arid climate. Emmer is a type of archaic cereal known as hulled wheat, because when threshed, the ear breaks up into these spikelets. Further vigorous processing is needed to break open the tough chaff and release the grain inside. Although ancient Egyptian cereals look so similar to their modern counterparts, they are incapable of germination now. The ageing process has damaged the proteins and destroyed enzyme activity. |