Archaeobotany Research Articles

Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany, Lucknow

This article highlights the findings of some of the major collaborative studies conducted by the staff of the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany during 2014. The article provides a glimpse of ongoing research at BSIP in diverse fields under the umbrella of palaeosciences, such as the origin and evolution of biota, palaeobiogeography, deep time and Quaternary palaeoclimates and palaeocology, archaeobotany and dating.

Palaeolinguistics and Ancient Eurasian Pulse Crops

Traditional pulse crops such as pea, lentil, field bean, bitter vetch and chickpea were a part of the human diet in hunter-gatherer communities and are one of the most ancient cultivated crops. It was found that the Proto-Indo-European language had the largest number of roots directly related to pulses, such as *arnk(')- (a leguminous plant), *bhabh- (field bean), *erəgw[h]- (a kernel of leguminous plant; pea), *ghArs- (a leguminous plant), *kek-, *k'ik'- (pea) and *lent- (lentil), confirming their essential place in the nutrition of Proto-Indo-Europeans. Pea was most important among the Proto-Uralic people, while pea and lentil were most significant among the Proto-Altaic people. Pea and field bean were common among Caucasians and Basques, and field bean and lentil among the Afro-Asiatic peoples. Palaeolinguistics may contribute to archaeobotany in understanding the role of traditional Eurasian pulse crops had in the everyday life of ancient Europeans together with plant scientists and archaeobotanists.

Integrating Zooarchaeology and Paleoethnobotany: A Consideration of Issues, Methods, and Cases

Integrating Zooarchaeology and Paleoethnobotany: A Consideration of Issues, Methods, and Cases

Integrating Zooarchaeology and Paleoethnobotany: A Consideration of Issues, Methods, and Cases

Review of Integrating Zooarchaeology and Paleoethnobotany: A Consideration of Issues, Methods, and Cases. Amber M. VanDerwarker and Tanya M. Peres, eds. 2010. Springer, New York. Pp. 317, 13 color illustrations, 13 black-and-white illustrations. $129.00 (hardback). ISBN 9781441909343.

Holocene book reviews : Tropical archaeobotany applications and new developments

Holocene book reviews : Tropical archaeobotany applications and new developments