Definition: The study of paleobotany involves the investigation of the remains of plants and plants pieces in archaeological sites or other landscapes of the past. Obviously, plant matter doesn't stay unchanged over periods of centuries or millennia, but evidence in the form of floral remains such as charred seeds and phytoliths does remain and can provide information on prehistoric diet and climate.
Asch, David L. and Nancy B. Asch1978 The economic potential of Iva annua and its prehistoric importance in the Lower Illinois Valley. In The nature and status of ethnobotany. In Anthropological Papers. Richard I. Ford, ed. Pp. 300-341. Ann Arbor: Museum of Anthropology, University of Michigan.
Hastorf, Christine A. and Virginia S. Popper 1988 Current paleoethnobotany: analytical methods and cultural interpretations of archaeological plant remains. edition.Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Gremillion, Kristen J. 1993 Crop and weed in prehistoric eastern North America: The Chenopodium example. American Antiquity 58(3):496-509.
This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology. Additional sources for the term include the references listed on the front page of the Dictionary, and the websites listed in the sidebar. Any mistakes are the responsibility of Kris Hirst.
Asch, David L. and Nancy B. Asch1978 The economic potential of Iva annua and its prehistoric importance in the Lower Illinois Valley. In The nature and status of ethnobotany. In Anthropological Papers. Richard I. Ford, ed. Pp. 300-341. Ann Arbor: Museum of Anthropology, University of Michigan.
Hastorf, Christine A. and Virginia S. Popper 1988 Current paleoethnobotany: analytical methods and cultural interpretations of archaeological plant remains. edition.Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Gremillion, Kristen J. 1993 Crop and weed in prehistoric eastern North America: The Chenopodium example. American Antiquity 58(3):496-509.
This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology. Additional sources for the term include the references listed on the front page of the Dictionary, and the websites listed in the sidebar. Any mistakes are the responsibility of Kris Hirst.
