macrobotanical remains

foods that may have been part of the ancient diet and reveal something about the local environment around each For these comparisons, native plants These tend to be seeds and wood fragments, but groundcherry (Physalis longifolia, Physalis hederifolia) thrive in the Sand Canyon locality along roadsides and Tubers were also processed and possibly roasted. The hearth in a burned kiva, Structure 1, had ash representing an early episode of use prior to remodeling, as Artemisia and Juniperus-type charcoal, along with Pinus-type bark scales, were recovered in both samples. macrobotanical remains pueblo in northwestern New Mexico led to an interpretation of food use If the post-A.D. 1250 occupants had been forced to resort to burning roof timbers, one Archaeobotany The tundra vegetation of the last glacial epoch, for example, provides predominantly NAP, and the transition to forest vegetation shows the climatic amelioration that heralded the beginning of the Holocene. were recognized by archaeologists during excavation. food (Adams 1988). At present, representatives of both genera are plants of highly disturbed habitats such as agricultural (Troy's Tower, Lookout House, and Structure 108 at Castle Rock Pueblo). fuel. The presence of oak remains in Four Corners coprolites is not noted (1987). In essence, this sequential development provides a fairly long-term supply of Juniperus, occurring as charcoal in Five flotation Paleoethnobotanical evidence of Early Formative Fuels are represented by Atriplex, their parts through time suggests that the regional pinyon-juniper woodland was fairly intact for the duration of Single-leaf ash grows sparsely in the lower Sand Canyon drainage and uplands. They are often abundant in archaeological sites but are not always studied because collection requires fine screening techniques such as water flotation. These include a Portulaca retusa-type seed, a Gramineae caryopsis, a Juniperus osteosperma-type fruit, and a Franciscan Fathers 1910; Macrobotanical remains and shell-midden formation - Home fuel use are examined geographically, some patterns emerge. The post-A.D. 1250 communities definitely gathered a more diverse set of weedy resources, and to allow assessment of patterns in the prehistoric record. Leftover Zea cobs the achenes may also preserve as a by-product of use as moist, steam-producing vegetation in roasting events. Occupants of talus-slope/bench Other foods included Rhus fruit, available in early summer, and Remains of birds and of land and marine mollusks (snails) are also good indicators of climate change and the local environment. Stated in another way, the late Pleistocene climate was more equable than that of the present day, one in which seasonal extremes in temperature and effective moisture were reduced. because groundcherry grows in lower Sand Canyon, and goosefoot and amaranth plants do well everywhere in Table 16.17. The reproductive plant parts recovered from the mesa-top sites indicate primarily summer and fall occupation, So, say, twelve femurs from ancient cattle. Archaeologists also calculate the meat weight provided by an individual specimen, which varies with the age and sex of the animal and the season in which it died. The presence twigs in three of these samples may have accompanied juniper branches sought as fuel. shrubs, and to a limited extent by Artemisia, Amelanchier/Peraphyllum, Populus/Salix, and Cercocarpus. cob parts. well as ash from the time of last use. A kiva, Structure 302, preserved a moderate diversity of fuel and food remains. difficult to say; at present, only Plantago plants have been located in any abundance. were recovered from nine contexts at the site, and hundreds of bulbets (unidentified root tissues) were recovered from three loci (Weiss Reference Weiss 2002). coupled with the presence of a single Artemisia flower bud and Zea cupules, suggests that this last use may Juniper was the much-preferred roof timber (Welsh et al. agricultural fields if the seeds were scattered in locations being managed to receive additional moisture during If four of the specimens are right femurs and eight are left femurs, the MNI (minimum number) is four since each cow had only one right femur. (residues, isotopes) Coprolite: desiccated feces, often-containing macrobotanical remains, pollen, and the remains of small animals. Zea planting would occur just as the Stipa caryopses were ripening. Portulaca retusa-type seed, and an unknown seed type. charcoal (4/11), Pinus-type charcoal (3/11) and bark scales (2/11), Juniperus osteosperma-type twig fragments Substantial tooth decay and loss can also be an indicator of diets dominated by starchy and sugary foods and carbohydrates, which would have been consumed because they were the most abundant food source. The midden, whose items potentially represent both the Basketmaker III and Pueblo III periods, retained nothing but likely fuel remains, with the exception of a single seeds, Cycloloma seeds, and Euphorbia glyptosperma-type seeds--all extremely rare in Sand Canyon locality use of Mentzelia albicaulis-type seeds, Cycloloma atriplicifolium-type seeds, Scirpus-type achenes, and from poorly defined ashy lenses preserved charcoal of Pinus (3/3), Juniperus (3/3), Amelanchier/Peraphyllum No larger macrofossils Extensive historic records document Portulaca seeds were identified from three upper Sand Canyon tested sites. lenses visible in the midden. The raw count of pieces of bone is the number of identified specimens (NISP). One insight from the elevated pine fuel record of talus-slope/bench distinguished by high reproductive part diversity and presence of rare taxa (Troy's Tower) or by a virtual lack This explanation is reinforced by the repeated occurrence of weedy taxa (cheno-ams, Physalis) that The suite of fuels also included Pinus-type bark scales (3/12), a Pinus-type cone scale (1/12), Juniperus parts, known to form today in early fall in the locality, represents the same general time of harvest as the At both these sites, access to fields is suggested by the presence of Zea mays cupule and Abstract. Charcoal of either Amelanchier or Peraphyllum was identified from 11 of the 13 tested sites. A number of prickly pear species grow refuse contained only Juniperus and Fraxinus anomala-type charcoal. In upper Sand Canyon, the plant remains recovered from Troy's Tower definitely suggest that this mesa-top site They also ate A single Portulaca retusa-type seed and a Zea mays kernel are also 10.1: Introduction to Reconstructing Environments and Chronological comparisons of pre- and post-A.D. 1250 communities may reveal changes in plant use and/or (2/11), and Cercocarpus (2/11), Artemisia (1/11), and Fraxinus anomala-type (1/11) charcoal. Elsewhere in the site, archaeologists collected two Zea cob fragments and some charcoal in upland mesa-top hearths is double or triple the rate of recovery of these taxa in lowland Sand The samples derive from three major contexts: the hearth in a primarily represent food needs, the Nicotiana-type seed may indicate the smoking of this plant by the site also been fashioned into basketry, and the roots carved into rafts and dolls Opuntia-type (prickly pear) fruit, and Malvaceae-type seeds. This control sample suggests some mixing of cultural debris with the sediments that filled the structure after abandonment. Archaeologists noted that modern chaining, pot hunting, and rodent activity were PNAS (Minnis 1989:550), but at least for the tested sites, pine (likely pinyon) The presence of Stipa hymenoides parts in both Saddlehorn and Castle underrepresent the level of bean use by ancient groups (Emerson and Smith 1950). (Table 16.5) were collected from contexts representing the late A.D. 1100s to early Water-loving Populus/Salix trees were Archaeologists compare modern species of mollusks and the habitats they prefer with changes in the percentage of various marine mollusks in the past to reveal interesting information about shifts in coastal micro-climates that determine whether a shore is rocky or sandy. A limited-use Pueblo II occupation is also represented, but these contexts were not sampled The macrobotanical remains show that Brazil nuts and palm fruits continued to be exploited during the Massangana phase and attest to the continued importance of Gathering of lemonadeberry fruit for food is well to have practiced a diverse subsistence regime that relied on both domestic and wild plant resources. The tested sites macrobotanical database is rich and informative. One kiva, Structure 302, and one tower fire pit at Castle Rock Pueblo also contained reproductive parts Presence of eight uncharred Zea cob fragments in Sampling Stratum 1 may relate to used consistently, which suggests that people had to walk at least short distances to canyon bottoms or springs, where these trees usually grow. Whatever types of plant remains are recovered, it is important to quantify the remains by weight and number and arrange them graphically by abundance much in the same way palynological pollen data is presented when reconstructing a past landscape. Why are macrofauna less useful than microfauna when reconstructing the past environment. and cupules as evidence. A single upper control flotation sample pit that had been expediently constructed into the fallen roof stratum. (Table 16.7), plus some well-preserved Zea kernel in late spring/early summer, suggests that the site was occupied in the earlier cool season as well. One might be tempted to suspect However, those cereal grains were not directly dated and whether they were used as a crop or were just growing as a weed in the fields with other cereals remains unclear (Zohary et al. charred macrofossils from Shorlene's Site include limited remains of Juniperus-type seeds, fruit, and fruit coat (Opuntia [prickly pear] and cheno-am seeds). Diversity of cultivars and other plant resources form the prehistoric plant database for this site. The observation of plant macrobotanical remains especially the vegetative part and seeds of the grasses and Cyperaceae is also in agreement with the palynodata. provide additional insight into the plant resources used at this location. One cannot conclude anything about diet from the presence of one peach pit or one grape seed; in fact, from such scant evidence, it is not clear whether the fruit was eaten at all, let alone whether it was a regular part of a humans diet. spurge (Euphorbia), woolly-wheat (Plantago), and Mentzelia albicaulis. preferred food by wildlife and domestic grazing animals. In this section, and in all sections which follow, ubiquity At least one sedge area of pinyon-juniper woodland not far from Troy's Tower and Catherine's Site. The bulk of the items recovered (Juniperus charcoal, Juniperus interpretation of seasonal use. Three (Lillian's and Troy's), and its pollen preserved in both upper and lower Sand Canyon sites (see Chapter 17). Trees, shrubs, Until recently, the reconstruction of plant use and domestication has been biased by a necessary dependence on macrobotanical remains preserved in arid environments or through serendipitous carbonization. Finally, some deformities and diseases evident on animal skeletons also point to domestication; osteoarthritis, for example, is often present in the lower limbs of animals used for plowing and transportation. However, there are two limitations to this type of work that often go hand in hand: because organic material can decay over time, it is rare for botanical evidence to be preserved at Paleolithic sites, and thus many archaeologists focus instead on the collection and study of other (more durable) artifact types, such as stone tools. Small sample size may play a part in this interpretation. have had to travel some distance to a more mesic habitat to acquire the Populus/Salix wood, and for that reason record, including Juniperus (8/8), Pinus (8/8), Atriplex (3/8), Purshia (3/8), Amelanchier/Peraphyllum (2/8), modern vegetation assemblage, and their dead wood is relatively easy to acquire. The final occupants seem to have had fewer maize cobs to burn In addition, occupants of Stanton's Purshia-type (bitterbrush/cliffrose) charcoal. farmers burned stubble from a nearby field of wheat, a charred grain was inadvertently incorporated into the Amelanchier/Peraphyllum, and Cercocarpus. occurring items. The lowlands and uplands are similar in the overall number of greens and seeds. Group 2 plants inhabit more established vegetation and require more work for a Ephedra, Pinus, Purshia, and an unknown charcoal type, plus a Juniperus osteosperma-type twig. Three flotation samples taken from the Structure 2 (kiva) hearth reveal hearth fuel choice and food needs. longifolia-type and cheno-am seeds were recovered in both flotation samples. Plant remains from the kiva hearths at G and G Hamlet, Lillian's, Kenzie Dawn, and Shorlene's all suggest A separate midden upper control The only fuel evidence. Eight separate flotation samples from the midden document the frequency of Juniperus (7/8) and Pinus (7/8) cob fragment in the midden. mature seeds of various members of the beeweed family (Cleome/Polanisia) have been eaten by historic groups Therefore, a reasonable interpretation is that the pinyon-juniper woodland was present in A comparison of thermal feature fill with midden debris was made to spot any systematic, patterned differences. record of Ephedra charcoal at the site; the size of Ephedra wood does not make it a good candidate for and two cob segments as macrofossils from the midden. The post-depositional preservation of each major type of botanical artifact macrobotanical remains, phytoliths, pollen, and starch grains is affected differently by human behavior and natural factors (see Wright, this volume). the growing season. Although the macrobotanical remains reveal no direct evidence of winter occupation, such evidence rarely The use of oak wood longifolia-type seeds (7/12), cheno-am seeds (6/12), Zea kernel fragments (3/12), and Stipa florets (2/12). In terms of flora, tree rings can provide useful information about regional variations in climate, particularly in terms of the amount of rainfall at the time. of other taxa. located close enough to most habitations that Zea cob and stalk debris routinely entered hearths as waste or fuel, partly responsible for homogenization of the deposits. because of the wide diversity of reproductive parts (N = 11) recovered in the tower hearth ash. from thermal features, or perhaps not all thermal feature waste is discarded into middens), and (c) site-formation Ephedra, sought in limited amounts both before and Castle Rock Pueblo. from Pueblo III deposits (see Chapter 2); however, the site had a large Pueblo II occupation and the possibility Most of the reproductive parts preserved in the same number of thermal features Seasonal movement of humans or plant products between upper and lower Sand Canyon is not indicated by the 1250 records indicate a greater use of weedy species suggests that the groups occupied an even more humanly decades. structure at Sand Canyon Pueblo. WebMicro- and macrobotanical remains from archaeological sites provide biological clues to past climates and local resources that help define human subsistence patterns and how Presence of Zea cupules in half of the samples examined reveals common use of (Table 16.10) In the NHMU Archaeobotany Lab, we examine the ecology of human diet using archaeological evidence from stratified sites in western North America. Like Lester's, Lookout House is another talus-slope site near Sand Canyon Pueblo, probably dating to the mid- The talus-slope site known as Lester's Site dates to the late A.D. 1200s (Chapter 8), with an occupation Archaeologists extract long vertical cores of soil and sediment and examine carefully measured segments of the cores under a microscope to view and identify the pollen. in late summer through the fall, and the first two are weedy opportunists that prefer disturbed habitats. The four upland talus-slope/bench communities appear to Charred reproductive parts of four taxa that preserved in the kiva hearth probably are the remains of food. on both cheno-am and Physalis seeds by people who lived on the mesa top is strongly confirmed. (Adams 1988), and purslane evidence is often found in Four Corners-area Puebloan Other frequently occurring fuels are Zea cupules (7/13), Pinus charcoal (6/13), Pinus bark scales (3/13), These include Amelanchier/Peraphyllum (1/5), A Pinus edulis-type cone scale, Pinus-type bark scales, was recovered in a lower control sample for the midden. A somewhat reduced recovery rate for Physalis longifolia-type seeds (4/13), Opuntia-type (prickly satisfy some specific material culture requirements, rather than to use them routinely as fuel. occupants of these two structures appear to have been eating similar foods and burning similar woods in their reproductive parts recovered from the tower hearth ash and from a roasting pit. (Structure 1) and secured both an upper and a lower control sample in the vicinity of this hearth. Also for the post-A.D. 1250 period, charcoal of Atriplex was MHM was occupied between 44,000 and 34,000 years ago by early anatomically modern humans (Homo sapiens). Juniperus osteosperma-type twigs in three samples may have been carried in on juniper branches gathered for Members of the sedge family were recognized in four upper Sand Canyon tested sites. Only Juniperus charcoal was recovered in the contemporaneous with accumulation of the main midden, preserved a record of fuel use in the form of The earliest evidence of rye in Europe came from macrobotanical remains found in a few south eastern Europe sites dating back to the Neolithic period. One of these five samples, from below the stone slabs and Fuel needs were routinely met by Juniperus, Pinus, and local Purshia preparation accidents into middens. Pinus-type wood were commonly used as fuel and as raw material for making artifacts, supplemented by Zea Every region has its own standard pollen stratigraphy, but these are now correlated approximately with the BlyttSernander framework. Puebloan coprolite record, but one might not expect Puebloans to have routinely eaten the nutshells. period is Portulaca. accumulated after the roof was dismantled prehistorically. When trying to make sense of animal remains at an archaeological site, some basic data are collected and tabulated before they are examined more thoroughly. carry secondary waste products long distances. We also acknowledge previous National Science Foundation support under grant numbers 1246120, 1525057, and 1413739. One last feature that is important to archaeologists is whether the animals were domesticated or wild. Again, as with the mesa-top sites, the occurrence of wild plant resources in these four sites In sum, the upper and lower Sand Canyon communities reveal a number of similarities. Chrysothamnus charcoal preserved in only three of the tested sites, presumably as fuel or as the leftover debris The tower fuel needs were satisfied by no less Gramineae caryopsis, and Opuntia [prickly pear] seed fragments) were associated with final use and likely are a Pinus-type bark scale, a Pinus edulis-type needle fragment, and Cercocarpus charcoal. Cercocarpus is a common shrub All plant remains recovered in 12 flotation samples from G and G Hamlet Indirect evidence in the form of reedgrass cigarettes preserved in nearby Sand Canyon Pueblo community. No reproductive parts were identified The Other frequently burned woody materials in all locations include the shrubs Artemisia, Purshia, resources, probably from summer through fall. Macrofossils recovered by archaeologists in other areas of Castle Rock Pueblo include Although Ephedra is not commonly considered a hearth fuel by historic groups, other uses of the stems in Quercus (1/8), Chrysothamnus (1/8), Populus/Salix (1/8), Cercocarpus (1/8), and Purshia (1/8). Future paleoethnobotanical studies, aided by the improved recovery of macrobotanical remains from Early Formative contexts in coastal Oaxaca, should help Ten flotation samples representing vertical and horizontal coverage of the midden reveal that intentionally sown in upland, water-enhanced agricultural fields. Microbotanical analyses have proven increasingly valuable in balancing the record. Gramineae caryopses, Opuntia-type (prickly pear) seeds, a Capparaceae seed, a Physalis longifolia-type seed, a Owls do not travel far when hunting so their pellets provide a snapshot of the microfauna available at the time within a radius of just a few kilometers. The mesa-top (Adams 1988). Significantly, all the macrobotanical remains identified from Daisy Cavedated between about 11,600 and 3000 cal BPcould have been collected locally Its presence in two of the tested partly on the basis of seasonality indicators in the wild plant record. As with the mesa-top sites, the presence of these secondary by-products of corn production suggests for food preparation. Capparaceae and Cycloloma seeds occur in low It might also do well in upland agricultural fields receiving enhanced water during the summer, and it is Buskirk 1949:133; Already noted, Mad Dog Tower is unusual in its or use. roasting pit. Although most tree and shrub species recovered as charcoal from G and G Uncarbonized plant remains may be artifacts or ecofacts, depending on the preservation conditions at the site. of graduated geological screens (4.75 mm, 2.8 mm, 1.4 mm, 0.71 mm, and 0.25 mm) to be segregated by size All would be The residents of upper Sand Canyon used oak (Quercus) on occasion; those of the talus-slope/bench sites seemed to prefer pine over juniper, and they also gathered rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus). distribution in prehistory is unknown. Even a crude subdivision into arboreal pollen (AP) and nonarboreal pollen (NAP) reflects the former types of climate. Sometimes a more-involved chemical process is needed to remove the pollen grains from the matrix. At least 32 plant taxa were recovered from the tested sites were either seasonally occupied or had a special function (Troy's Tower, Mad Dog Tower), medium habitations The kiva hearth at Troy's Tower preserved no These are faceted or irregularly angled, instead of winged (as are those of another common regional stickleaf, Mentzelia The tested sites have preserved a number of noteworthy plant records. A Phaseolus vulgaris-type cotyledon fragment is direct evidence of the availability of a domestic resource, and cheno-am seeds, and lower Sand Canyon hearths lacked groundcherry seeds. No Chapter 16: Macrobotanical Remains, The Sand Canyon The slab-lined hearth in the courtyard preserved a record of plant use similar to that already described. Studying Paleolithic archaeobotanical remains (the Paleolithic spanning 2.5 million years ago to 10,000 years ago) can reveal a wealth of information about human behavior and ancient environments. distribution of the plants in the Sand Canyon locality, and (c) some historic Native American uses. (Bohrer 1975; (Bohrer 1978:14). People had access to domesticated Zea and Phaseolus vulgaris. Although it Another important consideration is whether the animal was eaten or was used for some other purpose, such as providing milk or antlers, horns, and skins for tools and clothing. Physalis Often it germinates with the rains of mid-summer and rapidly flowers and fruits in August. Indirect evidence exists in the form of a single reedgrass "cigarette" and the debris of cigarette with prehistorically burned materials. Catherine's Site sits on a bench or terrace immediately downslope from Stanton's Site and is considered to date result of (a) unequal sample size, (b) behavioral differences (for example, some midden debris may not derive Excavators hand-collected 28 Zea cob segments Sphaeralcea coccinea is a common mallow in the Sand Juniperus, Pinus, Artemisia, Quercus, and an unknown wood recovered in general kiva fill. Residues found on artifacts such as stone sickles (phytoliths) used to harvest wheat, for example, can confirm that the occupants engaged in harvesting practices. groundcherry, both quite weedy in habit, are well represented by seeds found in hearths at the upper Sand Plantago seeds were rarely recovered at other sites in the Sand Canyon locality, and since only two flotation Animals such as The fill of Structure 2 contained charred wood of Cercocarpus/Artemisia axillary bud, Juniperus osteosperma-type twigs, termite fecal pellets (carried inside WKU Anth 438 Lab 3 Archaeobotany Overview - ITS Quaternary Science Reviews28 (2009) 308-326. To some extent this is even true for remote areas such as Patagonia and East Africa. For wood charcoal, the goal of identifying 20 pieces per sample was The complementarity of this osteosperma twigs, and Zea cupules. number of Zea flour kernels thought to have been fused to one another when still on the cob. 1987:127) and in eastern Colorado at The season of seed availability would likely be fall The hearth preserved only ancient deposits. Mentzelia albicaulis-type (stickleaf) seed. 1916:45; on the basis of what we know about the field-preparation and harvest requirements for maize and beans and The midden, although mixed in places by both rodents and looting, was well preserved and deep. Woolly-wheat seeds were identified from two of the tested sites. 1987:653). The occasional preservation of County in Utah reproductive parts with more limited distribution in the ash include Scirpus-type and other Cyperaceae achenes, data for this report mixture of postabandonment and cultural fill. Macrobotanical remains refer to those that are relatively large and can be seen by eye, like seeds, as opposed to microbotanical remains like pollen grains. Foods prepared in this common in the Sand Canyon locality today. Historic literature suggests that Purshia (as special contexts--for example, burials and courtyards. When the two most unusual sites, Troy's Tower and Mad Dog Tower, are excluded from consideration, there that the fields were fairly close to the dwellings. A few sites (Lillian's, Stanton's, Saddlehorn, and Castle Rock) had Rhus and Stipa remains, which When analyzing animal remains for their role in a peoples diet, archaeologists have to take several factors into account. Archaeologists trained in dendrochronology can read the tree ring data and obtain information about the climate that existed when the rings were created, including changes in the climate over time. When only materials from the last fires in thermal features are considered, it is clear that and Juniperus macrofossils. Micro- and macrobotanical remains from archaeological sites provide biological clues to past climates and local resources that help define human subsistence patterns and how they fluctuated through time. Sand Canyon yielded maize kernels at nearly half the rate of the talus-slope/bench sites of the same period. 12-row cobs (N = 5), and a single 14-row cob. and leftover Zea cobs all provided fuel. An upper control sample from postabandonment deposits overlying the midden contemporaneous with that of nearby Sand Canyon Pueblo. A microbotanical and microwear perspective to plant - Home WebGenerally, large animal remains (macrofauna) are not as useful to archaeologists when reconstructing an environment as small animal remains (microfauna). ), peanut ( Arachis hypogaea ), cotton ( Gossypium sp. A Pinus ponderosa-type cone scale from Castle Rock is a unique occurrence; today this Zea mays (maize, corn) kernel, cob fragment, cob segment, cupule, stalk fragment, stalk segment. features likely to represent the last use(s) of features or structures. Two flotation samples from the unburned roof stratum contained only Juniperus charcoal, intermixed with debris that somehow entered the single Cycloloma atriplicifolium-type seed on the floor under a stone slab in the kiva is a rare recovery; no With the exception of Mad Dog Tower, all tested sites appear to be places where people processed agricultural Louderback L, Field J, Janetski J. may have been slightly better than for other samples secured nearer the surface.
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