"In northeastern North America our understandings of prehistoric human-plant relationships, the subject of paleoethnobotany, continue to change as more samples are taken, examined, and compared to extant records. The results of these analyses are no longer relegated to the appendices of archaeological site reports, but constitute important contributions to our understandings of Native American lifeways in the Northeast, on their own and in combination with other lines of evidence. This volume presents current work in this vital field of inquiry. Its chapters reflect how paloethnobotany in the Northeast is changing to include the analysis not only of macrobotanical, but also microbotanical, remains and new theoretical developments in our understandings of prehistoric human-plant relationships. Collectively, the chapters in this book provide a sense of the breadth of paleoethnobotanical research being carried out in the Northeast and serve as a benchmark by which progress in the field can be measured in the decades to come."--Publisher's description.

Sammelgeschichte - Agrargeschichte - Chenopodium - Helianthus - Domestikation - Sammelwirtschaft - Indianer.

Paleoethnobotany, the study of archaeological plant remains, is poised at the intersection of the study of the past and concerns of the present, including agricultural decision making, biodiversity, and global environmental change, and has much to offer to archaeology, anthropology, and the interdisciplinary study of human relationships with the natural world. Method and Theory in Paleoethnobotany demonstrates those connections and highlights the increasing relevance of the study of past human-plant interactions for understanding the present and future. A diverse and highly regarded group of scholars reference a broad array of literature from around the world as they cover their areas of expertise in the practice and theory of paleoethnobotany—starch grain analysis, stable isotope analysis, ancient DNA, digital data management, and ecological and postprocessual theory. The only comprehensive edited volume focusing on method and theory to appear in the last twenty-five years, Method and Theory in Paleoethnobotany addresses the new areas of inquiry that have become central to contemporary archaeological debates, as well as the current state of theoretical, methodological, and empirical work in paleoethnobotany.

This new edition of the definitive work on doing paleoethnobotany brings the book up to date by incorporating new methods and examples of research, while preserving the overall organization and approach of the book to facilitate its use as a textbook. In addition to updates on the comprehensive discussions of macroremains, pollen, and phytoliths, this edition includes a chapter on starch analysis, the newest tool in the paleoethnobotanist's research kit. Other highlights include updated case studies; expanded discussions of deposition and preservation of archaeobotanical remains; updated historical overviews; new and updated techniques and approaches, including insights from experimental and ethnoarchaeological studies; and a current listing of electronic resources. Extensively illustrated, this will be the standard work on paleoethnobotany for a generation.

A full discussion of the major stages and problems of paleoethnobotanical research, from designing and testing equipment to quantification and interpretation. Combining case studies and theoretical discussions, the volume explores a wide range of issues relevant to collecting, analyzing, and interpreting plant remains to provide accurate information about past human societies. Contributors offer data on specific regions as well as more general background information on the basic techniques of paleoethnobotany for the nonspecialist. Cloth ed. ($24.95) not seen. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR