In the United States, archaeological pollen analysis has involved much work on coprolites, often preserved in dry conditions in arid environments. Some work began in the 1960s, such as that by E. O. Callen and T. W. M. Cameron (1960), P. S. Martin and F. W. Sharrock (1964), and J. Schoenwetter (1962). Human fecal material from latrine pits has also been studied (Reinhard, Mrozowski, and Orloski 1986). The results yield much information about the diets of the people concerned, both Native American and European.

Syntheses of Results

As sufficient results have accumulated in particular regions, they have been synthesized into regional accounts of landscape change including archaeological considerations, as, for example, those covering central and northern Europe (Firbas 1949–1952), the British Isles (Godwin 1956), and the Netherlands (van Zeist 1967). Further work has resulted in highly detailed regional studies, for example, in northern Germany and southern Scandinavia (Muller-Wille, Dorfler, Meier, and Kroll 1988), southern Germany (Kuster 1988), poland (Ralska-Jasiewiczowa 1977), and a summary of Europe (Behre 1988). Useful collected works have been published on subjects such as human impact in pollen results (Behre, ed. 1986), and on archaeological palynology (Dimbleby 1985; Renault-Misovsky, Bui-Thui-Mai, and Giraud 1985).

James Greig

See also

United States of America, Prehistoric Archaeology

References

Behre, K.-E. 1988. “The Role of Man in European Vegetation History.” In Vegetation History. Ed. B. Huntley and T. Webb III. Dordrecht: Kluwer.

———. 1990. “Some Reflections on Anthropogenic Indicators and the Record of Prehistoric Occupation Phases in Pollen Diagrams from the Near East.” In Man’s Role in the Shaping of the Eastern Mediterranean Landscape. Ed. S. Bottema, G. EntjeNieborg, and W. van Zeist. Rotterdam: Balkema.

Behre, K.-E., ed. 1986. Anthropogenic Indicators in Pollen Diagrams. Rotterdam: Balkema.

Beijerinck, W. 1931. De subfossile plantenresten in de terpen van Friesland en Groningen. 3. Overige macro-en microresten, Wageningen, 64 pp.

Bertsch, K. 1926. “Die Pflanzenreste aus der Kulturschichte der neolithischen Siedlung Riedsachen bei Schussenried.” Schriften der Verein fur Geschichte des Bodensees und seiner Umgebung 54.

———. 1928. “Klima, Pflanzendecke, und Besiedlung Mitteleuropas in vor-und fruhgeschichtlicher Zeit nach de Ergebnissen der pollenanalytischen Forschung.” Bericht der romisch-germanischen Kommission 18.

Beug, H.-J. 1962. “Uber die ersten anthropogenen Vegetationsveranderungen in Suddalmatien an Hand eines neuen Pollendiagramms von ‘Malo Jezero’ auf Mlhet.” Veroffentlichungen des geobotanischen Instituts ETH Rubel (Zurich) 37: 9–15.

———. 1992. “Vegetionsgeschichtliche Untersuchungen uber die Besiedlung im unteren Eichsfeld, Landkreis Gottingen, vom fruhen Neolithikum bis zum Mittelalter.” Neue Ausgrabungen und Forschungen I Niedersachsen 20: 261–339.

Bottema, S., and H. Woldring. 1990. “Anthropogenic Indicators in the Pollen Record of the Eastern Mediterranean.” In Man’s Role in the Shaping of the East Mediterranean Landscape, 231–264. Ed. S. Bottema, G. Entjes-Nieborg, and W. van Zeist. Rotterdam: Balkema.

Burden, E. T., J. H. McAndrews, and G. Norris. 1986. “Palynology of Indian and European Forest Clearance and Farming in Lake Sediment Cores from Awanda Provincial Park, Ontario.” Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 23: 43–51.

Callen, E. O., and T. W. M. Cameron. 1960. “A Prehistoric Diet Revealed in Coprolites.” New Scientist 8, no. 190: 35–40.

Campo, M. van, and A. Leroi-Gourhan. 1956. “Note préliminaire à l’étude des pollen fossiles de différents niveaux de grottes d’Arcy-sur-Cure.” Bulletin du Museum, 2d. ser., 28: 326–330.

Clark, R. L. 1983. “Pollen and Charcoal Evidence for the Effects of Aboriginal Burning on the Vegetation of Australia.” Archaeology in Oceania 18: 32–37.

Dauber, A., A. Fietz, and K. Lang. 1955. “Romische Brunnen in Pforzheim.” Beitrage zur naturkundlichen Forschung im Sudwestdeutschand 14: 43–56.

Dimbleby, G. W. 1955. “Pollen Analysis as an Aid to the Dating of Prehistoric Monuments.” Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society 20: 231–236.