Investigating the preservation of phytoliths on knapped stone tools: an Experimental Archaeology pilot project (original) (raw)
2023
Phytoliths constitute microscopic plant biominerals and their analysis on artefacts contributes significantly to the identification and study of plants in the archaeological record. An experimental knapped-stone assemblage was produced as part of the SeaROOTS, an interdisciplinary research project funded by the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (H.F.R.I.) under the “3rd Call for H.F.R.I. Research Projects to support Post-Doctoral Researchers” (Project Number: 7186). Within this project, a pilot study was conducted to investigate the preservation of phytoliths on a sample of experimentally produced stone tools used for cutting, chopping and pounding plant materials. This research integrates Experimental Archaeology with Phytolith Analysis with the aim to develop a methodology that optimises the ability to identify phytoliths preserved on knapped stone artefacts. To achieve this, two intermediate objectives are implemented: (a) the enrichment of the (archaeo)botanical reference record with phytoliths from modern plants and their association with specific experimentally produced stone artefacts, and (b) the investigation of the plant-related human activity during the Stone Age through the application of Phytolith Analysis on archaeological lithic finds from West Greece. Herein, the methodological considerations, the experimentally produced stone tools - relating to tool usage on selected plants, and the preliminary results of this pilot study are presented. Future systematic work, besides other tasks (e.g. use-wear distribution and micro-wear analysis across the active tools surfaces) will investigate the effects of firing on phytolith preservation and apply the methodology produced on archaeological assemblages from West Greece and other Mediterranean areas to gain more information regarding their natural and cultural contexts. Although Phytolith Analysis on knapped stone artefacts is a relatively recent analytical procedure, it is hoped that its integration with more established approaches (e.g. OLM, SEM/EDS, XRF, XRD) will contribute to a wider understanding of the use of lithic technology, and of matters related to the preservation of plant micro-remains on archaeological knapped stone assemblages depending on the biogeochemical burial environment.
Related papers
Phytoliths in Archaeology: Chemical Aspects
Phytoliths have now become almost a routine aspect of many archaeological investigations. They are very widely used in many contexts to gain information about the plant species grown by or associated with humans in the past. Up until relatively recently most workers have used phytolith morphology to investigate archaeological contexts, and still the majority of papers published take that approach. However, there is increasing interest in using the chemical or even isotopic makeup of phytoliths to provide more information than is available merely from using morphology. The second key area where phytolith chemistry is important in archaeology is taphonomy. In particular, phytoliths with different chemistries might be expected to degrade in soils or sediments at different rates, and soil chemical conditions may also affect degradation. Both these factors could seriously impact on the interpretation of phytolith results from archaeological contexts.
(2014) 8th International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, Warsaw April-May 2012
Functional analyses and interdisciplinary approaches are fundamental for delineating tool uses in the archeological record. We conducted phytolith and use-wear analyses of grinding stones from three Levantine sites: Tell Halula (PPNB to Halaf) and Tell Aswad (PPNB) in Syria, and Tell Arqa (EBA), Lebanon. Use-wear distributions over the tools surfaces present levelled areas, polish and longitudinal traces, which are associated to plant grinding processes. Phytolith assemblages reveal the processed plant material, which includes emmer wheat (Triticum dicoccum). Integrating phytoliths within use-wear data provides a promising approach for tracing tool-use and crop-processing patterns more widely.
Driessen, J., Schoep, I., Carpentier, F., Crevevoeur, I., Devolder, M., Caignerot-Driessen, F., Hacigüzeller, P., Isaakidou, V., Jusseret, S., Langohr, C., Letesson, Q. & A. Schmitt (eds), Excavations at Sissi II. Preliminary Report on the 2009-2010 Campaigns. AEGIS 04: 211-218, 2011
"The excavations of the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic layers at Klissoura Cave 1 (Peloponnese, Greece), facilitated the investigations of phytolith samples from sediments and hearths dated to the Upper Palaeolithic period. The study re- sulted in the reconstruction of the palaeo-landscape, the vegetation as well as the use of fire by the inhabitants of the cave. Phytoliths were abundantly identified in most of the sediment samples in relatively good preservation, especially in the up- permost layers. In contrast, phytoliths were practically absent from hearths. The dominant family identified in the course of laboratory analyses are the grasses. Moreover, their good preservation in the sediment samples permitted us to differen- tiate between various depositional events, due either to environmental changes and/or diverse economic activities. The rel- atively dry conditions in the cave during the deposition of the Upper Palaeolithic layers proved to be suitable for the pres- ervation of the phytoliths allowing the preservation of certain fragile morphological types such as papillae cells or sedge phytoliths. Noteworthy is the presence of phytoliths from the inflorescence of grasses in some of the layers as well as the identification of sedges that points to the potential use of these plants for dietary purposes during the Aurignacian. Wood was probably the main fuel used for fires accompanied by the constant presence of grasses."
Loading Preview
Sorry, preview is currently unavailable. You can download the paper by clicking the button above.
Related papers
Cooking with Plants in Ancient Europe and Beyond: Interdisciplinary approaches to the archaeology of plant foods, 2022