ANTH 6340 - Paleoethnobotany

Meets with ANTH 4340. Paleoethnobotany is the study of plant remains from archeological 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 mircobotanical remains. You will develop a comprehensive understanding of paleoethnobotany, learning how archaeologists, paleoecologists and forensic anthropologists use plant remains to inform them of past human behaviors and environmental conditions. Graduate students will have an additional assignment proposing a project that applies paleoethnobotany to an archeological problem of interest to them.