Phytoliths are silica casts of plant cells, created within and between living tissues across
almost all plant clades. Because they are abundant, durable and distinctive, phytoliths are …

This new edition of the definitive work on doing paleoethnobotany brings the book up to date
by incorporating new methods and examples of research, while preserving the overall …

Silicon (Si) is the most abundant element on the earth's surface after oxygen. Si can be
found in minerals, electronic chips, cosmetic products, and plants for instance. Here we …

Opaline phytoliths are important microfossils used in archaeological and ecological
research. Relatively little is known about the stability of phytoliths after burial. Under alkaline …

What role did plant resources have in the evolution of the human species? Why and how
have plants been managed and transported to new environments? Where, how, and why …

Recent research involving starch grains recovered from archaeological contexts has
highlighted the need for a review of the mechanisms and consequences of starch …

Phytoliths, microscopic plant silica bodies, are often preserved in modern and fossil soils
and sediment, as well as in archaeological contexts. They record unique characteristics of …

A rapid phytolith extraction procedure is described, that allows phytolith concentrations and
morphotype assemblages to be analyzed within hours. This procedure enables the results of …

We discuss some recent trends in archaeological microfossil research, including
approaches using multiple microfossil data sets (eg pollen, phytoliths, starches, and …

Two methods are commonly used for the extraction of phytoliths from plant material to be
used as reference in the analysis of archaeological phytolith samples:(1) spodograms or dry …