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Essay On Archaeobotany

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Intro Archaeobotany looks at diet, subsistence and meals as well as other aspects such as climate and past vegetation through the use of many different techniques ( Hastorf, 1988). The techniques used in archaeological enquiry can be said to be interchangeable between most archaeological fields allowing for them to be used in many situations with ease at the same time provide valuable data and insight ( Hastorf, 1988). The aim of this essay is to assess key areas of archaeological enquiry and the potential archaeobotanical research contribution to these key areas. There are two types of archaeobotanical remains, macro and micro remains (Thomas, 1996).Macro remains are large and often come in the form wood, fruits and seeds or even flowers and roots (Thomas, 1996). Micro remains are often a lot smaller in size than that of the macro remains, micro remains are isotopes, diatoms, pollens and phytoliths (Thomas, 1996). Macro remains and micro remains can be said to use different types of archaeological enquiry techniques however similar techniques with a similar application can be used, thus for the purpose of this essay they shall be used interchangeably together. Recovery techniques are the basis of acrheobotony, without techniques to …show more content…

This can help determine site occupation, agricultural practices in an area or site as well as other associated practices using plants (Tolar, 2010). Such as making of mats, trade of plant materials and shelter practices (Tolar, 2010). Pollen grain sampling can prove too time consuming and frustrating, often unable to differentiate between species of similar plants through they’re pollen grains. Pollen grain records may also often prove misleading (Tolar, 2010).Although pollen grain sampling has cons and must be dine in careful and precise manor it opens up much information of the past environment contributing to archaeological

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The total knowledge accumulated from lifetimes spent in archaeological study is vast. Too vast, even by author Jake Page 's own admission, to be adequately summarized in a brief text with respect to the great number of cultural and environmental factors that spurn, as well as result from, investigation. Indeed, there seems to be a kind of relationship between environmental cause and cultural effect that is encountered repeatedly in Page 's text. Examining the different diets and homes of various population groups in North America, Page illuminates for his audience the great importance of inference – the backbone of investigational study that continues to fuel interests in archeology today. One observation that can be made from observing the remains of the indigenous populations of North America is that food is not immediately recognized for its potential.

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