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Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology pp 5920–5931Cite as

Phytolith Studies in Archaeology

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Introduction

Phytolith analysis is a micro-botanical technique used in archaeology to study ancient plant remains. Phytoliths are opaline silica bodies formed during the lifetime of a wide variety of plant taxa within and between certain cells. These micro-remains can provide insight into ancient diet, the non-food uses of plants (such as for fuel or weaving), spatial arrangements of plant use and discard across settlements, agricultural practices, and seasonality of pre-agrarian site occupations. The durability of these micro-remains makes them particularly valuable at archaeological sites where preservation conditions are not suited to the survival of charred, desiccated, or waterlogged macro-remains. Phytoliths provide both complementary and unique information about plant use at sites where charred macrobotanical remains (cereals, seeds) are present since these datasets preserve information about different suites of plant parts and enter the archaeological record through different...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Conservation and Scientific Research, The British Museum, Great Russell Street, London, UK

    Philippa Ryan

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  1. Philippa Ryan
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Correspondence to Philippa Ryan .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Archaeology, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia

    Claire Smith

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Ryan, P. (2014). Phytolith Studies in Archaeology. In: Smith, C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0465-2_2258

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