Theme:
2. Archaeological Sciences, Humanities and the Digital era: Bridging the Gaps
Session format:
Regular session
Title:
Beyond the lens: contemporary methods and interdisciplinary synergies in archaeobotany
Content:
Archaeobotany, the study of plant remains from archaeological contexts, used to be exclusively performed in a lab; isolated individuals sorting out and identify seeds through a stereoscope’s lens. The traditional analytical approaches to study plant macro- and micro-remains are usually focused on the reconstruction of plant exploitation, as well as past landscape and footprints of human activities.
In the last decades, innovative protocols have been developed to investigate past environmental conditions, agronomic practices, and the past exploitation of plants. Morphometry, stable isotopes and organic residues analyses, and the recovery of ancient DNA have highlighted the role(s) of plants in the daily activities of ancient communities. The simultaneous advance of digital humanities, the spread of social media and the introduction of AI tools in various inter- or cross- disciplinary project collaborations have forced the discipline to move fast-forward.
As a result, the agency of past individuals and/or communities and their interaction(s) with plants is being re-visited by many researchers and professionals across Europe. These attempts re-frame archaeobotany as a discipline that can be conducted outside the lab and is relevant to its age and era by utilising cutting edge technology.
In this session we aim to explore contemporary methods and synergies attempting to re-visit old questions in archaeobotany with new digital tools, re-use of botanical collections, agricultural archives and/or ethnographic records, perform ambitious experiments inside and beyond the lab, and re-introduce the wider audience to ancient agriculture and cuisine through inclusive remote and/or participatory actions.
We welcome contributions from researchers and professionals associated with archaeobotany, anthropology/history of food, ethno-archaeology/botany, and experimental archaeology to share experiences illustrating how contemporary inter- and/or cross-interdisciplinary methods in archaeobotanical research can bridge the gap between archaeology and the modern natural and physical sciences, as well as ordinary people of the 21st century and their past.
Keywords:
archaeobotany, contemporary methods, inter-/cross-disciplinary projects, palaeoenvironmental reconstruction, ancient diet and cuisine, fieldwork
Session associated with MERC:
no
Session associated with CIfA:
no
Session associated with SAfA:
no
Session associated with CAA:
no
Session associated with DGUF:
no
Session associated with other:
Main organiser:
Alexandra Kriti (Spain) 1
Co-organisers:
Claudia Moricca (Italy) 2
Cristiano Vignola (Italy) 2
Mila Andonova-Katsarski (Bulgaria) 3
Benjamin Audiard (France) 4,5
Affiliations:
1. Institut Catala d' Arquelogia Classica
2. Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome
3. Division of Palaeobotany and Palynology, Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
4. Institut des Sciences Analytiques, UMR 5280 CNRS, Université Claude Bernard
5. Laboratoire de Géographie Physique : Environnements Quaternaires et Actuels, UMR 8591 CNRS - Universités Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne et UPEC
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