Final answer:
Paleoethnobotanical evidence of plant domestication includes modified soils, pollen, coprolites, and food residue on pottery. Genetic testing of plants like potatoes also provides domestication timelines. These findings help trace the transition from hunter-gatherer lifestyles to sedentary agricultural societies.
Step-by-step explanation:
Archaeological or paleoethnobotanical evidence for the domestication of plants in ancient societies includes numerous types of remains and artifacts. One prominent example is the finding of modified soils and pollen in Neolithic stratigraphy, which indicates the cultivation of crops like barley and wheat. Additionally, fossilized fecal material and food residue in pottery can reveal ancient human diets and plant domestication efforts, while genetic testing of crops such as potatoes has provided data on the timeline of plant domestication.
In the Andean region, evidence of domestication dates back to as early as 8000 BCE, with cultivation of plants like squash, bottle gourds, and potatoes, corroborated by genetic testing that has traced domestication between 8000 and 6000 BCE. The domestication process in these early societies was a gradual development that played a significant role in the shift towards sedentary agricultural communities, with the resulting social and economic transformations.