Archaeobotany – Plant Macrofossils

Archaeobotany is the study of plant remains from archaeological sediments. Based on the botanical information, the aim is to understand how wild and domesticated plants were used in past human societies.

Macrofossils include macroscopic plant remains like seeds, fruits, catkin bracts, cone scales as well as leaves/ needles, which are often distinctive to genera or species. Archaeological deposits often contain plant remains, but the type and amount vary significantly according to the degree of preservation and feature type.

In contrast to pollen, macrofossils are typically derived from relatively small catchments and reflect plants growing on the site or in archaeological contexts plant processing or storage.

Archaeobotanical reports investigate past utilization of wild and domesticated plant resources as food, feed, building materials and bedding. Dependent on the archaeological contexts, a report can involve topics such as:

• crop selection and horticulture
• trade
• depositional history.

At the Natural History Museum of Denmark several extensive collections and herbaria contain all relevant Danish species as well as many species from further afield.

Plant Macrofossils can be retrieved from a single soil sample or from a series of soil samples and is often combined with other types of analysis, such as sediment or pollen. Terrestrial macrofossils are well suited for AMS (¹⁴C) dating and waterlogged samples can yield aDNA.

Contact

Pernille Bangsgaard
Senior researcher
Research: Animal bones
Phone: +45 51 31 79 38
Email: pernille.bangsgaard@sund.ku.dk

Anthony Ruter
Senior researcher
Research: Pollen and Macrofossils
Phone: +45 60 18 67 69
Email: anthony.ruter@sund.ku.dk