Paleoethnobotany

The archaeobotany tries to reconstruct the vegetation and agricultural history with the help of finds of plant origin mixed area of archeology and botany. In addition to the macrofossils (fruits, seeds, wood residues) also provide micro- remains ( pollen, spores) infer Notes on the vegetation of times gone by and leave on the food habits and methods of cultivation that time. Together with the archaeozoology form Archaeobiology.

The Palaeoethnobotany as a mixed of the Ethnobotany with the Paläoethnologie pays exceptional attention to relationships between vegetation and colonization and the spread of plants by humans ( Hemerochorie ).

Plant remains

• Micro radicals: pollen ( grains ), spores
• Macroremains: fruit and seeds, wood residues (including charcoal ), moss, raffia, fibers, in rare cases, leaf debris, resin.

Maintenance forms and Locations

• Subfossil ( organic material, some chemically modified ) dry: deserts, caves, tombs, half-timbered
• Frozen: ice ( glaciers ), permafrost
• Wet: water / groundwater; Marshes, lakes, floodplains, ditches, wells, latrines
• Preserved by salts: Mines, next to metal parts (coins, arrowheads) lying
• Preserved by urine: rat middens

• Char: fireplaces, fire Funeral and victims bodies, destroyed by fire building
• Mineralized: in latrines
• Footprints: loam, pottery

See also: preservation conditions for organic material

Field and laboratory methods

Macroremains can be found on archaeological excavations by either chance findings or by selective removal of soil samples from wet or dry soils. Sifting, sludges or flotation is separated, the organic components from the mineral (soil ) material. Thereafter, the organic components are examined under a stereo microscope ( binocular ) and read the identifiable plant remains. Subsequently, the findings are morphologically and anatomically determined and quantified. The determination is made by means of a reference collection as well as by descriptions, drawings and photos from other publications. For botanical macro remains, there are very few limited identification key.

Micro residues obtained by taking soil samples ( mostly cores ), often from bogs or lakes. From these cores pollen grains and spores are extracted. The outer wall of the pollen grains and spores are made of extremely durable sporopollenin, so that they are preserved even in very strong acids and alkalis. The samples from drill cores covered include with hydrochloric acid and hydrofluoric acid to completely dissolve the mineral material. Humic acids to neutralize the samples are boiled in potassium hydroxide solution. To remove organic residues and staining the pollen grains and spores for microscopic examination, the samples are acetylosiert. The mineral particles may alternatively be separated by gravity separation of pollen. The enriched by this treatment in the samples pollen is then placed in a sample on a microscope slide. The sample is examined under a light microscope to preserved pollen grains and spores. These are determined by different identification keys and quantitatively evaluated.

Methods for dating of the finds

• Absolute dating: Radiocarbon Dating: Determination of the remaining portion of the carbon isotope 14C
• Dendrochronology: Comparison of annual rings of wood finds
• Warvenchronologie: Determination of the layered clay deposits ( varves ) in stagnant water

• Palynology: Pollenstratigraphische correlation
• Tephrochronologie: Determination of the deposits of volcanic ash ( Tephren )
• Magnetostratigraphy: Determination of traces of Erdmagnetfeldumpolungen in the rock
• Archaeology: correlation by comparison with other finds, such as pottery

Problems with the interpretation of the findings

For the interpretation of the results ( for example, the determination of the relative abundance of certain plants), one must consider a number of factors:

• Conservation selection - various plant remains survive of different lengths
• Certain plants have different number of seeds or fruits per individual ( eg fig compared with Peach )
• Different pollen production of self-pollinating and wind-pollinated plants
• Human influences

View the Results

• Comparison with other archaeological findings
• Conducting experiments on cultivation methods, combustion processes, etc.