Pollen Extraction for Arid-land Sediments

Abstract

Critical examination of traditional extraction procedures employed to recover pollen from a variety of archeological contexts demonstrated the inadequacy of many such techniques. Particularly in arid zones, where pollen preservation is notoriously poor, inappropriate laboratory analysis acts to distort grains further. A satisfactory methodology for pollen samples recovered from areas subjected to such deteriorating effects as oxidation and weathering is essential for archeologists attempting to reconstruct prehistoric environments. A new extraction methodology harmless to pollen grains, yielding excellent pollen counts and preservation from archeological soils was, therefore, experimentally developed for arid-land sediments.