| AOR Archaeology Online Resources |
| Basic Information on Plant Remains |
| Plant Remains |
| "Discover, Explore, and Learn from the Past!" |
| Plant remains refer to any sort of organic plant elements that are found at an archaeological site. |
| Plant remains can give insight into human cultures and environmental reconstruction. Analysis can provide insight into subsitence, settlement, cultural ideology, technology, etc. |
| Basic Principles |
| Plant remains are retrieved from archaeological sites either by screening or from soil samples which are taken. Most plant materials that are recovered are from screening in the field, and tend to be large in nature due to smaller specimen falling through the screens. A well documented site should contain both screen and soil samples so that the plant record is not skewed. Soil samples help in the recovery of macro-plant remains such as charcoal for radiocarbon dating, pollen or phytoliths, and to analyze the soil itself. A fair quantity of soil material is needed when working with soil samples. The standard for most archaeobotanists is approximately 10 liters, with as much as 70 liters needed in more arid environments to obtain a productive sampling. Plant remains are usually very light in weight and will float in water, easily separated from heavy elements which do not float. Thus, "flotation" is used to separate plant material from other items, greatly decreasing the time it takes to sort the sample. Some organic material will not float in water, in which case chemicals such as sodium silicate are used. An example would be bone, which may sink to the bottom of a sample during flotation. The use of various chemicals basically changes the specific gravities of the substance, causing various elements to float as the specific gravity changes. A similar principle of using various chemicals was and is also used for gold recovery. An effective way to remove plant materials during flotation is with a small aquarium siphon. An air-blowing device can also be used to separate various seeds of varying weight from soil. Flotation can be accomplished by several means: from a hose and bucket, to very complex and expensive machines. |
| Current Paleoethnobotany: Analytical Methods and Cultural Interpretations of Archaeological Plant Remains By: Christine H. & Virginia P. |
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| Price: $19.00 |
| When processing any soil samples, be sure to weigh and run the sample through a mesh screen to filter out any artifacts or ecofacts which may be present. For a "homemade" or "field" flotation device, simply fill a bucket about 3/4 full of water and slowly pour the sample into the water. Then, have a flow of water running to the container (such as a hose). This flowing water will help free additional materials. Tip the bucket slightly so that the organic material will overflow into your screen (A Number 100 is recommended, or chiffon fabric) for capture. When no more organic material is churned to the surface, carefully drain the water and save the soil sample for drying and later inspection. If you use chiffon fabric in place of the mesh screen, it can be wrapped up and is also very effective for fragile plant remains. After flotation, the remaining soil can be inspected by sorting the conglomerate of mix in the soil. Using a microscope, one is then able to separate the remaining elements. Use a fine tweezers to collect any samples which are not soil. A wide range of materials can be found in a soil sample which include: seeds, plant parts, charcoal, various types of shells, stone artifacts and lithics, bone artifacts, pigments, paper, insect parts, etc. Sorted material should be stored in a viable container or vial with the Site Number or Name, type of material collected, and catalog number. |
| Further Resources: Archaeobotanical Remains Global Land Environments Palynology Publication listing on books related to Plant remains Ultimate Tree-Ring Web Pages |
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| Price: $169.95 |
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| Price: $54.95 |
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| Plants and People in Ancient Ecuador: The Ethnobotany of the Jama River Valley (Case Studies in Archaeology) By: Deborah M. Pearsall |
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| Price: $25.95 |
| Vine of the Soul: Medicine Men, Their Plants and Rituals in the Colombian Amazonia By: Richard S. & Robert R. |
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| Price: $19.77 |
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| Price: $50.37 |
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