Evaluating the usefulness of phytoliths and starch grains found on survey artifacts |
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| Authors: | Thomas C Hart |
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| Institution: | 1. School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of New South Wales, 2052 NSW, Australia;2. Dept of Anthropology and Environmental Studies and Sciences, Santa Clara University, 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA 95053, USA;3. Archaeology Program, School of Humanities, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria 3086, Australia;4. School of Mathematics & Statistics, The University of New South Wales, 2052 NSW, Australia;1. In the Groove Analysis Pty Ltd, 16 Charlane Avenue, Indooroopilly, Qld 4068, Australia;2. School of Social Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld 4067, Australia;1. Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China;2. Qinghai Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Xining 810007, China;1. UMR 7194 of the CNRS, Département de Préhistoire, Muséum National d''Histoire Naturelle and Université de Perpignan Via Domitia, Institut de Paléontologie Humaine, 1 rue René Panhard, 75013 Paris, France;2. McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3ER, UK;3. Archaeological Studies Program, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Albert Hall Building, Lakandula Street Corner E. Jacinto Street, Diliman, Quezon City 1101, Philippines;4. UMR 7194 of the CNRS, Département de Préhistoire, Muséum National d''Histoire Naturelle and Université de Perpignan Via Domitia, Centre Européen de Recherches Préhistoriques de Tautavel, Avenue Léon-Jean Grégory, 66720 Tautavel, France;5. Division of Archaeology, National Museum of the Philippines, Padre Burgos Drive, City of Manila, Philippines |
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| Abstract: | Archaeologists use survey artifacts to study any number of interesting topics. The focus of this study is to test the usefulness of starch grains and phytoliths found on artifacts recovered during archaeological survey. Phytolith and starch grain analysis was used to determine the level of environmental contamination on three types of medieval ceramics collected during survey work from plowed fields in the parish of Wicken, Northamptonshire, England. The plant residues found on these artifacts were compared with their surrounding soil and with contemporaneous excavated artifacts recovered from under the floorboards of a medieval house in nearby Wyton, Cambridgeshire, England. Through the use of the “piggyback” approach pioneered by Chandler-Ezell and Pearsall, phytoliths and starch grains were systematically removed from the artifacts surface. Residues associated with contamination were removed from the outermost layer of the artifact surface while potentially uncontaminated residues were removed from the innermost layer of the artifact surface. Matching phytoliths and starch grains were found on the outermost surface of the survey artifacts and in the surrounding soils. No phytoliths and starch grains were found on the innermost surface of the survey artifacts suggesting that residues from the surrounding soils did not penetrate into the pores and crevices of the artifacts. The overall results suggest that, although they are preliminary, there is potential for plant residue analysis of survey artifacts. |
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