Download or read book Ancient Starch Research written by Robin Torrence and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-09-16 with total page 547 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What role did plant resources have in the evolution of the human species? Why and how have plants been managed and transported to new environments? Where, how, and why were plants domesticated, and why do the patterns vary in different parts of the world? What is the relationship between the intensification of food production and the rise of complex societies? Numerous new studies are using starch granules discovered in archaeological contexts to answer these questions and improve our knowledge of past human behavior and environmental variation. Given the substantial body of successful research, the time has clearly come for a comprehensive description of ancient starch research and its potential for archaeologists. This book fills these roles by describing the fundamental principles underlying starch research, guiding researchers through the methodology, reviewing the results of significant case studies, and pointing the way to future avenues for research. The joint product of over two dozen archaeological scientists, Ancient Starch Research aims to bring the important new field of ancient starch analysis to the attention of a wider range of scholars and to provide them with the information needed to embark on their own research.
Download or read book Ancient Starch Remains and Prehistoric Human Subsistence written by Ying Guan and published by Frontiers Media SA. This book was released on 2023-04-06 with total page 237 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Case Studies in Paleoethnobotany written by Deborah M. Pearsall and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-07-06 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Case Studies in Paleoethnobotany focuses on interpretation in paleoethnobotany. In it the reader is guided through the process of analyzing archaeobotanical data and of using that data to address research questions. Part I introduces archaeobotanical remains and how they are deposited, preserved, sampled, recovered, and analyzed. Five issue-oriented case studies make up Part II and illustrate paleoethnobotanical inference and applications. A recurrent theme is the strength of using multiple lines of evidence to address issues of significance. This book is unique in its explicit focus on interpretation for "consumers" of paleoethnobotanical knowledge. Paleoethnobotanical inference is increasingly sophisticated and contributes to our understanding of the past in ways that may not be apparent outside the field or to all practitioners. The case study format allows in-depth exploration of the process of interpretation in the context of significant issues that will engage readers. No other work introduces paleoethnobotany and illustrates its application in this way. This book will appeal to students interested in ancient plant–people interrelationships, as well as archaeologists, paleoethnobotanists, and paleoecologists. The short methods chapters and topical case studies are ideal for instructors of classes in archaeological methods, environmental archaeology, and ethnobiology.
Download or read book Archaeological Science Under a Microscope written by Michael Haslam and published by Anu Press. This book was released on 2009 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: These highly varied studies, spanning the world, demonstrate how much modern analyses of microscopic traces on artifacts are altering our perceptions of the past. Ranging from early humans to modern kings, from ancient Australian spears or Mayan pots to recent Maori cloaks, the contributions demonstrate how starches, raphides, hair, blood, feathers, resin and DNA have become essential elements in archaeology's modern arsenal for reconstructing the daily, spiritual, and challenging aspects of ancient lives and for understanding human evolution. The book is a fitting tribute to Tom Loy, the pioneer of residue studies and gifted teacher who inspired and mentored these exciting projects.
Download or read book Frontiers in the Study of Ancient Plant Remains written by and published by Frontiers Media SA. This book was released on 2023-11-16 with total page 378 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the last two decades, plant biology has developed rapidly, ranging from molecular genetics, cell biology, and physiology to ecology and evolutionary issues, both for economic species and species unrelated to humans. These topics have received intensive attention, however, there is still a large gap in the study of plant biology in prehistoric times, especially those closely related to humans. The identification of plant species in archaeological sites plays an important role in exploring the paleoenvironment, the origin and spread of agriculture, and the relationship between humans and nature. In this research topic, we welcome progress in all aspects of ancient plant fossil research, especially phytoliths, starches, pollen and carbonized seeds, from the mechanisms of plant fossil formation to their phytosystematics, and the associated paleoecology and paleoenvironment.
Download or read book Acorns and Bitter Roots written by Timothy C. Messner and published by University of Alabama Press. This book was released on 2011-04 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: !--StartFragment-- Starch grain analysis in the temperate climates of eastern North America using the Delaware River Watershed as a case study for furthering scholarly understanding of the relationship between native people and their biophysical environment in the Woodland Period People regularly use plants for a wide range of utilitarian, spiritual, pharmacological, and dietary purposes throughout the world. Scholarly understanding of the nature of these uses in prehistory is particularly limited by the poor preservation of plant resources in the archaeological record. In the last two decades, researchers in the South Pacific and in Central and South America have developed microscopic starch grain analysis, a technique for overcoming the limitations of poorly preserved plant material. Messner’s analysis is based on extensive reviews of the literature on early historic, prehistoric native plant use, and the collation of all available archaeobotanical data, a review of which also guided the author in selecting contemporary botanical specimens to identify and in interpreting starch residues recovered from ancient plant-processing technologies. The evidence presented here sheds light on many local ecological and cultural developments as ancient people shifted their subsistence focus from estuarine to riverine settings. These archaeobotanical datasets, Messner argues, illuminate both the conscious and unintentional translocal movement of ideas and ecologies throughout the Eastern Woodlands.
Download or read book A Companion to Ancient Agriculture written by David Hollander and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2020-12-03 with total page 736 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first book-length overview of agricultural development in the ancient world A Companion to Ancient Agriculture is an authoritative overview of the history and development of agriculture in the ancient world. Focusing primarily on the Near East and Mediterranean regions, this unique text explores the cultivation of the soil and rearing of animals through centuries of human civilization—from the Neolithic beginnings of agriculture to Late Antiquity. Chapters written by the leading scholars in their fields present a multidisciplinary examination of the agricultural methods and influences that have enabled humans to survive and prosper. Consisting of thirty-one chapters, the Companion presents essays on a range of topics that include economic-political, anthropological, zooarchaeological, ethnobotanical, and archaeobotanical investigation of ancient agriculture. Chronologically-organized chapters offer in-depth discussions of agriculture in Bronze Age Egypt and Mesopotamia, Hellenistic Greece and Imperial Rome, Iran and Central Asia, and other regions. Sections on comparative agricultural history discuss agriculture in the Indian subcontinent and prehistoric China while an insightful concluding section helps readers understand ancient agriculture from a modern perspective. Fills the need for a full-length biophysical and social overview of ancient agriculture Provides clear accounts of the current state of research written by experts in their respective areas Places ancient Mediterranean agriculture in conversation with contemporary practice in Eastern and Southern Asia Includes coverage of analysis of stable isotopes in ancient agricultural cultivation Offers plentiful illustrations, references, case studies, and further reading suggestions A Companion to Ancient Agriculture is a much-needed resource for advanced students, instructors, scholars, and researchers in fields such as agricultural history, ancient economics, and in broader disciplines including classics, archaeology, and ancient history.
Download or read book Chemical Properties of Starch written by and published by BoD – Books on Demand. This book was released on 2020-03-11 with total page 166 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is about the chemical properties of starch. The book is a rich compendium driven by the desire to address the unmet needs of biomedical scientists to respond adequately to the controversy on the chemical properties and attendant reactivity of starch. It is a collective endeavor by a group of editors and authors with a wealth of experience and expertise on starch to aggregate the influence of qualitative and quantitative morphological, chemical, and genetic properties of starch on its functionalities, use, applications, and health benefits. The chemical properties of starch are conferred by the presence, amount and/or quality of amylose and amylopectin molecules, granule structure, and the nature and amounts of the lipid and protein molecules. The implication of this is comprehensively dealt with in this book.
Download or read book Archaeological Science Under a Microscope written by Michael Haslam and published by ANU E Press. This book was released on 2009-07-01 with total page 278 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: These highly varied studies, spanning the world, demonstrate how much modern analyses of microscopic traces on artifacts are altering our perceptions of the past. Ranging from early humans to modern kings, from ancient Australian spears or Mayan pots to recent Maori cloaks, the contributions demonstrate how starches, raphides, hair, blood, feathers, resin and DNA have become essential elements in archaeology¿s modern arsenal for reconstructing the daily, spiritual, and challenging aspects of ancient lives and for understanding human evolution. The book is a fitting tribute to Tom Loy, the pioneer of residue studies and gifted teacher who inspired and mentored these exciting projects.
Download or read book The Cultures of Ancient Xinjiang Western China Crossroads of the Silk Roads written by Alison Betts and published by Archaeopress Publishing Ltd. This book was released on 2019-12-19 with total page 218 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of the least known but culturally rich and complex regions located at the heart of Asia, Xinjiang was a hub for the Silk Roads, serving international links between cultures to the west, east, north and south. Trade, artefacts, foods, technologies, ideas, beliefs, animals and people traversed the glacier covered mountain and desert boundaries.
Download or read book Paleoethnobotany written by Deborah M Pearsall and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-06-16 with total page 514 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This new edition of the definitive work on doing paleoethnobotany brings the book up to date by incorporating new methods and examples of research, while preserving the overall organization and approach of the book to facilitate its use as a textbook. In addition to updates on the comprehensive discussions of macroremains, pollen, and phytoliths, this edition includes a chapter on starch analysis, the newest tool in the paleoethnobotanist's research kit. Other highlights include updated case studies; expanded discussions of deposition and preservation of archaeobotanical remains; updated historical overviews; new and updated techniques and approaches, including insights from experimental and ethnoarchaeological studies; and a current listing of electronic resources. Extensively illustrated, this will be the standard work on paleoethnobotany for a generation.
Download or read book Paleoethnobotany Third Edition written by Deborah M Pearsall and published by Left Coast Press. This book was released on 2015-09 with total page 514 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This new edition of the definitive work on doing paleoethnobotany brings the book up to date by incorporating new methods and examples of research, while preserving the overall organization and approach of the book to facilitate its use as a textbook. In addition to updates on the comprehensive discussions of macroremains, pollen, and phytoliths, this edition includes a chapter on starch analysis, the newest tool in the paleoethnobotanist's research kit. Other highlights include updated case studies; expanded discussions of deposition and preservation of archaeobotanical remains; updated historical overviews; new and updated techniques and approaches, including insights from experimental and ethnoarchaeological studies; and a current listing of electronic resources. Extensively illustrated, this will be the standard work on paleoethnobotany for a generation.
Download or read book New Directions in Archaeological Science written by Andrew S. Fairbairn and published by ANU E Press. This book was released on 2009-02-01 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Archaeological Science meetings will have a personality of their own depending on the focus of the host archaeological fraternity itself. The 8th Australasian Archaeometry meeting follows this pattern but underlying the regional emphasis is the continuing concern for the processes of change in the landscape that simultaneously effect and illuminate the archaeological record. These are universal themes for any archaeological research with the increasing employment of science-based studies proving to be a key to understanding the place of humans as subjects and agents of change over time. This collection of refereed papers covers the thematic fields of geoarchaeology, archaeobotany, materials analysis and chronometry, with particular emphasis on the first two. The editors Andrew Fairbairn, Sue O'Connor and Ben Marwick outline the special value of these contributions in the introduction. The international nature of archaeological science will mean that the advances set out in these papers will find a receptive audience among many archaeologists elsewhere. There is no doubt that the story that Australasian archaeology has to tell has been copiously enriched by incorporating a widening net of advanced science-based studies. This has brought attention to the nature of the environment as a human artefact, a fact now more widely appreciated, and archaeology deals with these artefacts, among others, in this way in this publication.
Download or read book Handbook for the Analysis of Micro Particles in Archaeological Samples written by Amanda G. Henry and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-07-07 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This handbook provides a resource for those already familiar with some kinds of micro-particles who wish to learn more about others, or for those just starting out in the study of microremains who wish to have a broad understanding about microscopic archaeology. Topics covered in this handbook include diatom microfossils, starch granules, pollen grains, phytoliths, natural fibers, volcanic glass, minerals, insect remains, and feathers. Archaeological investigations increasingly rely on specialist identification of microscopic remnants found in sites. These micro-particles can provide information about the site environment and human activities that may not be apparent from artifacts and materials preserved on the macro-scale, and have given us new, and often high-profile, information about our past. The investigation of this "invisible archaeology" - that is, invisible to the naked eye - is still somewhat new, and generally each kind of micro-particle is studied individually. Researchers become experts in a narrow range of micro-particle types, but may be less familiar with, or even completely unaware of, the multitude of other forms that are frequently encountered in archaeological samples. This handbook’s accessible approach is suitable for those at the beginner level.
Download or read book Use Wear and Residue Analysis in Archaeology written by João Manuel Marreiros and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-11-06 with total page 231 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is designed to act as a readily accessible guide to different methods and techniques of use-wear and residue analysis and therefore includes a wide range of different and complementary essential topics: experimental tests, observation and record methods and techniques and the interpretation of a diversity of tool types and worked raw materials. The onset of use-wear studies was marked by the development of theory, method and techniques in order to infer prehistoric tools functionality and, therefore, understand human technological, social and cultural behavior. The last decade of functional studies, use-wear and residue analysis have been aimed at the observation, recording and interpretation of different activities and worked materials found on archaeological tools made on different types of organic and non-organic materials. This international group of contributions will be fundamental for all researchers and students of the discipline.
Download or read book Proceedings of the 3rd Meeting of the Association of Ground Stone Tools Research written by Patrick Nørskov Pedersen and published by Archaeopress Publishing Ltd. This book was released on 2022-01-06 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The papers in this volume focus especially on the relationship between ground stone artefacts and foodways and include archaeological and ethnographic case studies ranging from the Palaeolithic to the current era, and geographically from Africa to Europe and Asia.
Download or read book Starch Structure Functionality and Application in Foods written by Shujun Wang and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-08-30 with total page 177 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book summarizes the latest research on starch structures and how these structures occur during food processing and storage. Discussing the origins, multi-scale granule structures and functional properties of starch as well as starch digestion, it focuses on the relationship between starch structure and functionality, the phase transition mechanism, the molecular disassembly and self-assembly of starch during food processing and storage and their effects on starch digestion. As such, the book provides a comprehensive overview of starch structure and functionality for researchers and postgraduate students in the field of food chemistry, carbohydrate polymers, polymer chemistry, food ingredients and food processing as well as human nutrition and health..
