Quantitative diatom analysis as an archaeological aid

Abstract

At the outset, only qualitative diatom analysis on soil samples was undertaken at the Albert Egges van Giffen Instituut voor Prae- en Protohistorie, using VAN DER WERFF's (1957) method. It soon became apparent, however, that this method is not exact enough to reconstruct with any degree of accuracy the sort of wet or damp environment in which the diatoms originally lived.