Collaborative Basic Research Towards the Development and Maturation of Phytolith Analysis in Archaeology

Deborah Pearsall博士和Dolores Pillano博士将合作 植硅体分析应用于 考古材料。 植硅体是硅质的小天体 它们沉积在植物体内，通常保存在 死亡后土壤会发生分解。 虽然一个物种 植物体中的植硅体形状多样， 形状仅限于单一物种，因此有可能 研究植硅体组合， 身份证明 研究小组将集中研究玉米和相关物种。 他们将从植物的不同营养部分获得植硅体， 国内玉米和可能混淆的物种，以确定 玉米植硅体的独特特征 他们还将 开发一个专家系统，使准确和容易 识别. 只有在最不寻常的条件下， 保存在考古遗址中。 因此，由于植物 如此重要的饮食作用， 重建史前饮食 在热带地区的工作， 在保存条件极差的地方， 尤其是急性。 植硅石，因为它们非常耐用， 提供了一种解决这个问题的潜在方法，因此值得 关注 然而，由于缺乏一对一的 植硅体种间对应关系分析 困难 这项研究应该有助于解决这个问题。 这个项目很重要，因为它将为考古学家， 以及古生物学家，有一个价值的工具， 在世界上许多地方都很有用。

Drs. Deborah Pearsall and Dolores Piperno will collaborate on a project to develop the application of phytolith analysis to archaeological materials. Phytoliths are small bodies of silica which are deposited within plants and are usually preserved in soil after death and decomposition occurs. Although one species of plant may produce phytoliths of many shapes, and very few shapes are restricted to a single species, it is possible to examine phytolith assemblages and make some species identifications. The research team will concentrate on corn and related species. They will obtain phytoliths from different vegetative parts of both domestic corn and possible confusing species to determine what features are unique to corn phytoliths. they will also develop an expert system to permit accurate and easy identification. Only under the most unusual conditions are plants remains preserved in archaeological sites. Thus, because plants play such an important dietary role, it is extremely difficult to reconstruct prehistoric diets. In tropical areas of the work, where preservation is extremely poor, this problem is particularly acute. Phytoliths, because they are so durable, provide a potential way around this problem and therefore merit attention. However, because of the lack of one to one correspondence between phytolith species, analysis poses difficulties. This research should help to solve this problem. The project is important because it will provide archaeologists, as well as paleobiologists, with a value tool which should be useful in many parts of the world.