Tropical Archaeobotany: Applications and New Developments / Edition 1

by Jon G. Hather

Overview

Tropical Archaeobotany fills the need for a substantial reference work on plant remains from the tropics. It covers the examination, identification and interpretation of plant remains in tropical archaeology, whilst also the origins, spread, investigating the origins, spread, distribution and past use of tropical plants for food and other purposes. Recent technological developments in electron microscopy and biochemical and genetic research, as well as increased interest in tropical environments and ecosystems, are now beginning to realise the great potential for archaeobotanical research in the tropics. With the use of case studies from a wide range of areas, this volume details the latest macroscopic, microscopic and chemical techniques for the analysis of plant remains, from seeds, roots and tubers to epidermal fragments, pollen and phytoliths. Each chapter of Tropical Archaeobotany focuses on a different aspect of archaeobotanical research, using detailed examples from a varieety of tropical areas, though with its emphasis on techniques and methodology the book has a relevance beyond the regional scope of each chapter.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780415097840
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	05/26/1994
Series:	One World Archaeology , #22
Pages:	296
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

Jon G. Hather

Table of Contents

Introduction; 1: Wood charcoals from tropical sites; 2: Archaeobotanical investigations on a multicultural site at Adam, Maharashtra, with special reference to the development of tropical agriculture in parts of India; 3: The identification of charred root and tuber crops from archaeological sites in the pacific; 4: Dietary evidence from the intestinal contents of ancient humans with particular reference to desiccated remains from northern Chile; 5: Methods in the analysis of starch residues on prehistoric stone tools; 6: Investigating New World tropical agriculture; 7: The prospects and problems of using palynology to trace the origins of tropical agriculture; 8: Anthropogenic indicators in pollen diagrams; 9: Pollen in Polynesia; 10: Chemosystematics in archaeology; 11: Protein and lipid analysis of food residues; 12: The genetics of agriculture

Editorial Reviews

‘This marvellous volume details the latest advances in the analysis and interpretation of archaeobotanical remains from tropical areas. ... a wealth of useful information on the various kinds of plant materials that the archaeologist may retrieve from tropical sites ... Hather and his authors are to be congratulated for laying the basis for a potentially powerful interdisciplinary approach to the problem of agricultural origins.' - Antiquity

From the Publisher