Archaeobotany

Plant Macrofossils

Far Western employs a team of archaeobotanists that specializes in the recovery and identification of charred plant remains from archaeological sites. In conjunction with remains of animals, fish, and shellfish, plant remains are used to:

• Investigate prehistoric and historic-era use of food resources.
• Identify changes in use of native foods across time and space.
• Reconstruct past environments and their changing patterns as landscapes evolved.
• Contrast food remains with fuel residue through wood charcoal identification (working with Paleoresearch of Golden, Colorado).

Far Western’s archaeobotany lab features:

• Flotation equipment and personnel capable of processing hundreds of archaeological sediment samples.
• A reference collection of more than 500 seed, fruit, root, and wood samples from California and Nevada.
• A relational data base with quantitative and qualitative data on more than 1,000 flotation samples from central and northern California.
• Binocular microscopes ranging from 7-70 magnification, including digital image capture capability.
• A digital scale with resolution to 0.1 milligram for weighing nutshell and berry pit fragments.

Archaeobotany Lab Director Dr. Eric Wohlgemuth has more than 30 years of experience in the field, and has written over 100 reports on the subject, including several peer-reviewed publications. His research interests in archaeobotany involve the evolution of hunter-gatherer intensive plant use in California, as a topic. Wendy Pierce, M.A., has conducted archaeobotany for more than 15 years, with extensive experience in sorting, identifying, and interpreting macrobotanical remains in the Owens Valley and eastern California.