ANTH 5340 - Paleoethnobotany

Paleoethnobotany is the study of plant remains from archaeological sites and how people in the past utilized plants. Several kinds of information can be derived from archaeological plant remains, including subsistence strategies, past diets, plant domestication, environmental change and social differentiation. This class introduces you to the methods and applications of paleoethnobotany, including macro- and microbotanical remains. You will develop a comprehensive understanding of paleoethnobotany, learning how archaeologists, paleontologist and forensic anthropologists use plant remains to inform them of past human behavior and environmental conditions. Graduate students will have an additional assignment proposing a project that applies paleoethnobotany to an archaeological problem of interest to them.