Identifying past agricultural activity through soil phytolith analysis: a case study from the Hawaiian islands |
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Authors: | Deborah M. Pearsall Michael K. Trimble |
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Affiliation: | 1. Department of Anthropology and American Archaeology Division. University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Missouri 65211, U.S.A. |
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Abstract: | Soil samples from documented archaeological sites and adjacent fields were analyzed for phytolith assemblage in an effort to identify and reconstruct prehistoric and early historic agricultural systems on the Island of Hawaii. The removal of indigenous tree and shrub vegetation, subsequent agricultural activity, and eventual abandonment of the fields can be identified in the areas tested. The applicability of phytolith analysis to archaeological problems is advanced and areas of strength and weakness identified. |
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Keywords: | phytoliths ethnobotany prehistoric agriculture Hawaii island 1300 BC direct field sampling |
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