Session: #375

Content:

Present global environmental changes challenge the concepts of archaeological historicity and the antagonism of nature and culture in interdisciplinary research and heritage management. Pollen analysis is a recognized method for the interpretation of past climate variability and the dynamics of ecosystems in which humans are active agents.
Analysis of pollen from archaeological sites is complex as human agency often plays a major role in the formation of the pollen assemblage as well as the deposit. However, on-site pollen analysis has a great potential, as numerous studies since the 1980’ies have shown.
Plant macrofossils are mainly preserved in aerobic sediments when charred; their presence might be immediately linked to human activity. Pollen grains, on the other hand, may be preserved as uncharred microfossils, and reflect local and/or regional environmental conditions. Pollen analysis may thus be used to address questions of land use as well as on-site activities, like food processing, plant deposition in graves, etc. Pollen can add additional species to the botanical record. On-site pollen spectra often reflect the site formation or use of certain plants. The mapping of pollen concentrations can reveal areas of activity, e.g. threshing places.
The method is still underestimated in archaeological projects and its full potential is not always exploited. Therefore the session invites papers on the analysis of on-site material, also non-pollen palynomorphs, combined pollen and macrofossil analyses, combined on-site and off-site studies as well as experimental and present day studies on pollen dispersal and deposition with reference to land use and other activities.

Session: #375

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