Spores, Pollen, Phytoliths, Starch Grains, and Other Microbotanical Remains

Abstract

Microbotanical remains include spores, pollen, phytoliths, starch grains, and similar materials produced by fungi and plants. Their study provides insights into aspects of environments and cultures otherwise unavailable in the archaeological record and elaborates upon others. They are particularly valuable in multi-proxy studies for these reasons (e.g., Dumayne-Peaty 2001; Nelle et al. 2010).