Event Title
Phytolith Recovery from Native American Woodland Ceramics Utilizing a Heavy Liquid Technique
Presentation Type
Oral and/or Visual Presentation
Presenter Major(s)
Anthropology
Mentor Information
Elizabeth Arnold, Janet Brashler, Mark Schwartz
Department
Anthropology
Location
Kirkhof Center 2216
Start Date
10-4-2013 12:00 AM
End Date
10-4-2013 12:00 AM
Keywords
Culture, Environment, Physical Science, U.S. Diversity
Abstract
A pilot study of starch and phytolith recovery techniques was carried out by two students (Kayla Hurd, Emily Teall) and three professors from the Anthropology Department (Elizabeth Arnold, Mark Schwartz, and Janet Brashler). Phytoliths are silica bodies that are deposited in the cells of living plants, and survive their parent plants; phytolith morphology reveals the type of parent plant. Phytolith extraction was carried out on residue removed from pottery sherds. The pottery was collected during GVSU archaeological excavations at a the Middle Woodland site of Prison Farm (2 sherds, c. 10 BCE - 80 CE), the Early Late Woodland site of Zemaitis (4 sherds, c. 500-700 CE), and the Late Woodland site of South Flats (1 sherd, c. 1400 CE). Additional research materials from the site of Hibermerdon Tepe in southeastern Turkey (c. 2000-1500 BCE) were analyzed for comparative purposes. The phytoliths revealed information about subsistence that will be discussed in this presentation.
Phytolith Recovery from Native American Woodland Ceramics Utilizing a Heavy Liquid Technique
Kirkhof Center 2216
A pilot study of starch and phytolith recovery techniques was carried out by two students (Kayla Hurd, Emily Teall) and three professors from the Anthropology Department (Elizabeth Arnold, Mark Schwartz, and Janet Brashler). Phytoliths are silica bodies that are deposited in the cells of living plants, and survive their parent plants; phytolith morphology reveals the type of parent plant. Phytolith extraction was carried out on residue removed from pottery sherds. The pottery was collected during GVSU archaeological excavations at a the Middle Woodland site of Prison Farm (2 sherds, c. 10 BCE - 80 CE), the Early Late Woodland site of Zemaitis (4 sherds, c. 500-700 CE), and the Late Woodland site of South Flats (1 sherd, c. 1400 CE). Additional research materials from the site of Hibermerdon Tepe in southeastern Turkey (c. 2000-1500 BCE) were analyzed for comparative purposes. The phytoliths revealed information about subsistence that will be discussed in this presentation.