Archaeobotany: The Impact of Microfossil Analyses in South American Archaeological Contexts

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ID: 314437
2026
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Abstract
Abstract Phytolith and starch grain analyses are recent approaches that have grown in popularity over the last three decades, both in South America and globally. The study of these remains, as well as other plant microfossils found in archaeological contexts, constitutes the field of “microarchaeobotany,” whose range of singular and multiproxy approaches is proving increasingly useful for solving a variety of archaeobotanical, geoarchaeological, and landscape archaeology problems. The aim of this chapter is to explore some of the key contributions that microarchaeobotanical analyses have made to our understanding of South American archaeology. These contributions are divided into three broad topics: plant domestication and food production; plant processing and consumption, social practices, and group identities; and site formation processes and environmental reconstruction. This work tries to be comprehensive in its theoretical and geographical scope, but the examples we provide rely mainly on the two most contrasting areas of the continent: the Andes and Amazonia. In doing so, some of the key areas within which microarchaeobotany has contributed to our knowledge of South American archaeology are summarized within the framework of a field of knowledge in continuous growth.
Reference Key
openalex_W7162022072 Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
Authors Pilar Babot, Jennifer Watling
Journal Oxford University Press eBooks
Year 2026
DOI
10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195391367.013.7
URL
https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195391367.013.7
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