Case Studies in Paleoethnobotany: Understanding Ancient Lifeways through the Study of Phytoliths, Starch, Macroremains, and Pollen

261 Pages·2018·32.303 MB·English

by  Deborah M. Pearsall

CASE STUDIES IN PALEOETHNOBOTANY
Case Studies in Paleoethnobotany focuses on interpretation in paleoethnobotany. In it the reader
is guided through the process of analyzing archaeobotanical data and of using that data to
address research questions. Part I introduces archaeobotanical remains and how they are
deposited, preserved, sampled, recovered, and analyzed. Five issue-oriented case studies make
up Part II and illustrate paleoethnobotanical inference and applications. A recurrent theme is
the strength of using multiple lines of evidence to address issues of significance.
This book is unique in its explicit focus on interpretation for “consumers” of
paleoethnobotanical knowledge. Paleoethnobotanical inference is increasingly sophisticated
and contributes to our understanding of the past in ways that may not be apparent outside the
field or to all practitioners. The case study format allows in-depth exploration of the process
of interpretation in the context of significant issues that will engage readers. No other work
introduces paleoethnobotany and illustrates its application in this way.
This book will appeal to students interested in ancient plant–people interrelationships,
as well as archaeologists, paleoethnobotanists, and paleoecologists. The short methods
chapters and topical case studies are ideal for instructors of classes in archaeological methods,
environmental archaeology, and ethnobiology.
Deborah M. Pearsall is Professor Emeritus at the University of Missouri, having retired in
2013 after 35 years. She holds a BA from the University of Michigan and an MA and PhD
from the University of Illinois, all of which are in the subject of Anthropology. Her interests
within this discipline center on South American archaeology and paleoethnobotany: the
study of plant–people interrelationships through the archaeological record. She has conducted
paleoethnobotanical research in numerous locations in the Americas. Her research has two
broad themes: the origins and spread of agriculture in the lowland Neotropics, and methods
and approaches in paleoethnobotany. She is the author of three books: Paleoethnobotany:
A Handbook of Procedures; Plants and People in Ancient Ecuador: The Ethnobotany of the Jama River
Valley; and, with D. R. Piperno, The Origins of Agriculture in the Lowland Neotropics. She was
also the general editor of Academic Press’s 2008 Encyclopedia of Archaeology and has published
in numerous professional journals and edited collections.

CASE STUDIES IN
PALEOETHNOBOTANY
Understanding Ancient Lifeways
Through the Study of Phytoliths,
Starch, Macroremains, and Pollen
Deborah M. Pearsall
First published 2019
by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
and by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2019 Taylor & Francis
The right of Deborah M. Pearsall to be identified as author of this work has been
asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and
Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in
any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter
invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered
trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to
infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this title has been requested
ISBN: 978-1-138-54471-0 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-611-32296-5 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-351-00968-3 (ebk)
Typeset in Bembo
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
For my students, lab assistants, and the visitors who passed through the
MU lab, 1979–2013: thanks for making my work possible and fun;
For archaeology students curious about ancient plant remains;
For my husband, Mike, for your loving support.

CONTENTS
List of figures xi
List of tables xiii
Preface xv
Acknowledgments xvii
PART I
The Nature and Study of Paleoethnobotanical Remains 1
1 Paleoethnobotanical Remains 3
Introduction: The Paleoethnobotanical Approach 3
Paleoethnobotanical Data and Their Study 5
Macroremains 5
Pollen 13
Phytoliths 15
Starch 20
Studying Archaeobotanical Remains 20
The Comparative Collection 23
2 Deposition and Preservation of Paleoethnobotanical Remains 27
Introduction 27
Macroremain Deposition and Preservation 31
Summary 31
Grinding Stone Example 32
Phytolith Deposition and Preservation 33
Summary 33
Grinding Stone Example 34
viii Contents
Starch Deposition and Preservation 34
Summary 34
Grinding Stone Example 35
Pollen Deposition and Preservation 36
Summary 36
Grinding Stone Example 37
Conclusion: Deposition and Preservation of Paleoethnobotanical Remains 38
3 Field Sampling and Recovery 41
Introduction 41
Strategies and Techniques for Sampling 41
Flotation and Fine-Sieving 48
Flotation Example: Using a SMAP-Style System 50
Collecting Artifacts and Residues for Starch (and Other Microfossil) Analysis 54
Guidelines for Selecting Artifacts 54
Field-Sampling of Residues for Microfossil Study 55
4 Approaches to Paleoethnobotanical Interpretation 58
Introduction 58
Qualitative Analysis 59
Quantitative Analysis 61
Common Measures Used to Interpret Archaeobotanical Data 61
Raw Data Tabulation 61
Ubiquity/Percentage Presence 66
Ratios 68
Diversity 70
Application of Multivariate Techniques 71
Reading a Stratigraphic Diagram 71
PART II
Interpreting Paleoethnobotanical Data: Case Studies 77
5 Investigating Neanderthal Lifeways Through Paleoethnobotany 79
Introduction 79
Background to the Case Study 80
Neanderthal Diet(s): The Contribution of Plant and Animal Foods 82
Neanderthals as Top Predators: Faunal and Isotope Evidence 82
Neanderthals as Foragers: Botanical Evidence 84
Foraging Practices of Early Modern Humans 92
Discussion: Plant Foods in the Neanderthal Diet 98
Neanderthal–Plant Interrelationships Beyond Diet 99
Medicinal Plant Use 99
Fuel Selection 99
Ecosystem Management 103
Contents ix
Spatial Organization of Sites as a Reflection of Modern Behavior 103
Early Modern Human Example: Sibudu Cave, South Africa 105
Summary and Discussion: Neanderthals and Modern Behaviors
Beyond Diet 106
Conclusion: Investigating Neanderthal Lifeways Through Paleoethnobotany 107
6 The Paleoethnobotany of Maize: Understanding Domestication
and Agriculture 112
Introduction 113
Is It Maize? Identifying and Characterizing Maize Remains 113
Introduction 113
Macroremains 114
Pollen 118
Phytoliths 121
Starch 124
Summary and Discussion: Identifying Maize 129
Assessing the Importance of Maize in Prehistoric Foodways 130
Introduction 130
Assessing the Abundance of Maize 131
Assessing the Impact of Maize on the Landscape 135
Summary and Discussion: Identifying the Importance and Impact of Maize 138
Conclusion: Contributions of Paleoethnobotany to Studying Domestication
and Agriculture 140
7 Archaeobotany and Insights Into Social Relationships at Cahokia 146
Introduction 146
Overview of Cahokia: The Site, Chiefdom, and Subsistence Base 147
Cahokia: Site and Cultural Sequence 147
Subsistence and Land Use 151
Changing Social Relationships and Foodways: An Overview 152
Maize, Elites, and Ritual at Cahokia 154
Insights From Macroremains, Cooking Pots, and Residues 156
Stable Isotope and Skeletal Studies of Human Remains 163
Summary: Maize and Social Status at Cahokia 165
Food, Status, and Social Relationships: Beyond Maize 167
Animals in Ritual and Diet of Elites and Nonelites at Cahokia 167
Black Drink and Cacao 168
Conclusion: Contributions of Paleoethnobotany to Understanding Social
Relationships at Cahokia 169
8 An Individual’s Relationship to the Natural World: Ötzi,
the Tyrolean Iceman 174
Introduction 174
Discovery and Excavation 176