Abstract
Phytolith analysis was used to reconstruct two centuries of floral history for the yards of two structures at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia: the first master armorer’s residence and an armory worker’s house. The decay-in-place tendency of phytolith deposition provided insight into both general conditions of floral assemblages and specific floristic patterns in the adjacent lots of the respective residences. Contrasts between prehistoric flora and that resulting from impact of European arrival was evident in the phytolith record. Phytolith analysis also revealed specific aspects of landscaping—or the lack of it—as effected by the sequence of occupants in the houses.
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Rovner, I. Floral history by the back door: A test of phytolith analysis in residential yards at Harpers Ferry. Hist Arch 28, 37–48 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03374199
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03374199