Pollen concentration analysis of Ancestral Pueblo dietary variation

Abstract

Previous coprolite research on the Colorado Plateau has shown that macrofossils are a useful way of statistically demonstrating prehistoric dietary variation of Ancestral Pueblos (Anasazi). Up until now, pollen concentration from human coprolites has not been used for comparative, statistical study. We present here the statistical analysis of pollen concentration values of coprolites from two Ancestral Pueblo sites, Salmon Ruin and Antelope House. The data show that although most pollen types do not show statistically significant variation, there are some types that show how different Ancestral Pueblo populations adapted to plant resources in different environments. The analysis indicates that future work should focus more on pollen concentration analysis of coprolites.