4 - Formation Processes of the Archaeobotanical Record

Abstract

This chapter discusses some of the principles behind archaeobotanical analysis. Archaeobotany is the art and science of recovering, identifying, and interpreting plant remains from archaeological sites. Some authors prefer to call the discipline paleoethnobotany, stressing the relationships between past cultures and the plant kingdom. The chapter focuses on the preserved traces of ancient food plants and also describes other types of botanical remains, including fibers, wood, charcoal, pollen, and plant crystals. The formal study of plant remains from archaeological sites can be traced back to at least 1826 when Kunth published an analysis of mummified cereals, fruits, and seeds from dry Egyptian tombs (Kunth 1826). Other pioneering efforts in archaeobotany also focused on sites with exceptional organic preservation. Archaeobatany has undergone a methodological revolution with the adoption of flotation as a tool for recovering small charred plant remains. Concurrent with the wider application of flotation, archaeobotany is also undergoing a theoretical revolution.