Paleoethnobotany

Catalog description

Paleoethnobotany, also called archaeobotany, is the archaeological investigation of the relationship between people and plants. The goals of this course are to promote an understanding of the development, application, and methodology of the discipline. Instruction includes both lecture and labs. Lecture themes focus on how paleoethnobotanists study ancient foodways, beverages, traditional medicine, evolution of subsistence strategies, crops and farming practices, and broader archaeological understandings of past societies. As a laboratory class, we will also engage in hands-on microscopic analysis of paleoethnobotanical samples. Labs will include macrobotanical analysis procedures, statistical quantification, and data presentation. Prerequisite: ANTH 167. Offered every fall.