If you are fascinated by the study of ancient people and plants, or are simply curious about these topics (and my research), this site is for you. Welcome!
My research focuses on analyzing and interpreting plant remains in order to better understand the relationship between people and plants. As a paleoethnobotanist (or archaeobotanist), I am particularly interested in reconstructing the diet of ancient people. I am also interested in how people constructed and tended their natural environment, for example homegardens, fields, and managed forests.
People and plants have co-existed for millennia, and we continue to rely on plants and their by-products for everything from food to construction. Not surprisingly,the study of how plants were used in the past can tell archaeologists a great deal about a particular person or group of people. For example, the study of plants has the potential to inform on diet, past environments, social differences, and origins of domestication, just to mention a few.
This website is for those interested in paleoethnobotany in general, and for those interested in my specific research, which include the identification of macrobotanicals and starch grain analysis. For links to a range of useful websites that deal with plants, paleoethnobotany, and Maya archaeology, check out the resources page. To keep up with archaeology in the news, check out the Archaeology Blog, where the latest stories on plants and archaeology are posted.
Thank you for visiting! If you have any comments, questions, or suggested links to add to the resources page, please feel free to contact me.
Visite nuestra página en español: Dale clic aquí. Gracias por su visita!