Paleoethnobotany : A Handbook of Procedures

by Pearsall, Deborah M.

• ISBN13: 9780125480406
• ISBN10: 0125480407
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1989-05-01
• Publisher: Academic Pr

Summary

This book describes the approaches and techniques of paleoethnobotany--the study of the interrelationships between human populations and the plant world through the archaeological record. Its purpose is twofold. First, it assembles in one volume the three major methods of paleoethnobotany, the analysis of macroremains, pollen analysis, and phytolith analysis, for the student or professional interested in the field. Second, it presents on paleoethnobotanist's view of the discipline: its past, present, and future, its strengths and weaknesses, and its role in modern archaeology. ï A comprehensive reference work for archaeologists and paleobotanists interested in reconstructing interrelationships between humans and plants from the archaeological record ï The first general of work theory and methods to emerge from this subdiscipline which has developed during the past twenty years ï Makes the approaches and techniques of this field more accessible to the general anthropological and botanical audiences ï Offers archaeologists a handbook of field sampling and flotation techniques as well as an introduction to methods of analysis and interpretation in paleoethnobotany

Table of Contents

Preface to the Second Edition	p. xiii
Preface to the First Edition	p. xix
List of Tables	p. xxi
List of Figures	p. xxv
The Paleoethnobotanical Approach
Introduction	p. 1
Historical Overview	p. 3
Nature and Status of Ethnobotany	p. 6
Techniques for Recovering Macroremains
Introduction	p. 11
In Situ Collection of Material	p. 12
Screening Techniques	p. 13
Water Recovery: Flotation Techniques	p. 14
Terminology	p. 15
Development of Flotation in the New World	p. 19
Development of Flotation in the Old World	p. 22
Machine-Assisted Flotation in North America	p. 26
Building and Operating Flotation Systems: Sample Designs	p. 29
Manual Flotation	p. 29
Machine-Assisted Flotation: Water Separators and SMAP Machines	p. 44
Machine-Assisted Flotation: Froth Flotation	p. 59
Sampling for Macroremains	p. 66
Strategies for Sampling	p. 66
Sampling Techniques	p. 69
Hints for Good Sampling	p. 75
Issues and Directions in Recovery of Macroremains	p. 77
Choosing a Recovery System	p. 77
Problem Soils	p. 88
Chemical Flotation	p. 89
Testing Flotation Recovery Rates	p. 93
Saltwater Flotation	p. 96
Identification and Interpretation of Macroremains
Introduction	p. 99
Initial Processing of Samples	p. 100
Basic Hand-Sorting Procedures	p. 100
Subsampling Large Flotation Samples	p. 111
Alternatives to Hand Sorting	p. 116
Sorting Desiccated and Waterlogged Samples	p. 117
Building a Comparative Collection	p. 119
Plant-Collecting Procedures	p. 120
Pressing and Drying Specimens	p. 124
Identification of Comparative Materials	p. 127
Preparing a Working Laboratory Collection	p. 128
Basic Identification Techniques	p. 133
Seeds	p. 133
Fruits and Nuts	p. 140
Wood	p. 144
Roots and Tubers	p. 153
Fibers, Leaves, and Non-Woody Stems	p. 162
Cultivated Plant Material	p. 168
Specialized Identification Techniques	p. 170
Embedding, Sectioning, and Grinding	p. 170
Electron Microscopy	p. 175
Morphometric Analysis	p. 177
Residue Analyses	p. 178
Presenting and Interpreting Results	p. 188
Qualitative Presentation	p. 191
Quantitative Analysis	p. 192
Reporting Results	p. 224
Interpreting Macroremain Data: Case Studies	p. 227
Issues and Directions in Macroremain Analysis	p. 239
Sources of Seeds	p. 240
The Meaning of Abundance Measures	p. 242
Sources of Bias in the Paleoethnobotanical Record	p. 244
Proof and Falsification	p. 245
The Roles of Macroremain Analysis in Paleoethnobotany	p. 247
Pollen Analysis
Introduction	p. 249
Nature and Production of Pollen	p. 251
Formation of Pollen	p. 251
Pollen Grain Structure	p. 251
Pollen Representation	p. 258
History of Pollen Analysis	p. 263
Field Sampling	p. 270
Sampling Strategies	p. 270
Taking Soil Samples	p. 279
Sampling Modern Vegetation	p. 288
Laboratory Analysis	p. 289
Sampling a Core	p. 290
Soil Extraction Techniques	p. 290
Processing Coprolites	p. 297
Processing Floral Specimens	p. 300
Mounting Slides	p. 301
Counting and Identifying Pollen	p. 302
Presenting and Interpreting Results	p. 311
Presenting Data	p. 312
Interpreting Sedimentary Data	p. 318
Case Study: Identifying Human Influences on Vegetation, An Example from the Pacific	p. 338
Interpreting Archaeological Pollen Data	p. 344
Issues and Directions in Archaeological Pollen Analysis	p. 348
Preservation	p. 348
Context and Sampling Issues	p. 349
Methodological Concerns	p. 350
The Roles of Pollen Analysis in Archaeology and Paleoethnobotany	p. 352
Phytolith Analysis
Introduction	p. 355
Nature and Occurrence of Phytoliths	p. 356
What Are Phytoliths?	p. 356
The World of Phytoliths	p. 360
Identifying Plants Using Phytoliths	p. 375
Phytolith Deposition	p. 392
Phytoliths and Archaeology: A Brief History	p. 395
Field Sampling	p. 399
Sampling Soil and Sediments	p. 399
Sampling Vegetation	p. 410
Laboratory Analysis	p. 411
Phytolith Laboratory	p. 411
Soil-Processing Procedures	p. 416
Processing Comparative Plant Material	p. 435
Scanning and Counting Procedures	p. 444
Presenting and Interpreting Results	p. 460
Presenting Results	p. 460
Interpreting Phytolith Data	p. 468
How Common Was Maize at Real Alto?	p. 473
Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction: Integrating Phytolith and Pollen Data	p. 483
Issues and Directions in Phytolith Analysis	p. 491
What Plants Produce Diagnostic Phytoliths?	p. 491
How, and from What Sources, Are Phytoliths Deposited in the Samples We Study?	p. 493
How Are Phytoliths Extracted, Scanned, Quantified, and Reported?	p. 493
What Are the Roles of Phytolith Analysis in Paleoethnobotany? In Archaeology?	p. 494
Integrating Biological Data
Indicators of Diet and Health
Introduction	p. 498
Indirect Dietary Indicators	p. 501
Botanical Data	p. 501
Faunal Data	p. 507
Direct Indicators	p. 520
Gut Contents and Coprolites	p. 520
Stable Isotopes	p. 522
Trace Elements	p. 535
Skeletal Indicators of Nutrition and Health	p. 546
The Interplay of Dietary Indicators
Predictions from Dietary Indicators	p. 561
Indirect Indicators: Botanical and Faunal Data	p. 561
Coprolite Data	p. 562
Isotopes	p. 562
Trace Elements	p. 563
Nonspecific Indicators of Stress	p. 564
Combined Indicators for Eight Neotropical Diets	p. 566
Diets 1 and 2	p. 566
Diets 3 and 4	p. 569
Diets 5-8	p. 572
From Model to Reality: Two Archaeological Case Studies	p. 578
Coastal Ecuador: Formative Period Diet	p. 579
Paloma, Peru Case	p. 588
Conclusions	p. 591
References	p. 593
Index	p. 695
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