Topics In Anthropology (390-0-28)
Topic
Archaeobotany: People, Plants, and the Past
Instructors
Amanda Lee Logan
847/491-4564
1812 Hinman Ave. Room 203
Prof. Amanda Logan's overarching goal is to connect the past to the present through reframing the kinds of questions we ask and empirically bridging the modern/premodern divide. Her current focus is building an archaeology of food security that traces how, where, and when chronic hunger emerged across the African continent.
Meeting Info
ANTHRO Sem Rm 104 - 1810 Hinmn: Fri 2:30PM - 5:20PM
Overview of class
This course is an advanced introduction to archaeobotany, the study of people and plant interrelationships in the past. Archaeobotanists examine plant remains from archaeological sites to deduce how ancient people interacted with their environments and fed their families. Through weekly lab practicums, students will learn how to analyze charred seeds and nutshells often visible with the naked eye, as well as much smaller microbotanical remains including phytoliths and starch grains. We will also explore quantitative and qualitative analysis and interpretation of archaeological plant remains.
Registration Requirements
Instructor Consent
Evaluation Method
Weekly lab practicums, discussion leading, independent lab project
Class Materials (Required)
1. Pearsall, D. (2015) Paleoethnobotany: A Handbook of Procedures. 3rd Edition. Routledge. ISBN 1611322995;
2. Marston, J., D'Alpoim Guedes, J., and C. Warriner, eds. (2015) Method and Theory in Paleoethnobotany. University of Colorado Press. ISBN 160732315X (recommended)