Abstract
Silica skeletons (fossilized sections of epidermal tissue) are frequent components in Near Eastern archaeological sediments. Culm (straw) and husks (grain bracts) produce different cell patterns that allow determination of plant part; this in turn provides information about use of activity areas. Identification of taxa is still preliminary; data is presented for wheat, barley, date palm, and three genera of weedy grasses. The distinctive anatomical characteristics of wheat, barley and date palm have not yet been compared to all possible wild confusers. However, within Levantine archaeological sites, strong suggestions of these cultigens can be proposed based on phytolith evidence.
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Rosen, A.M. (1992). Preliminary Identification of Silica Skeletons from Near Eastern Archaeological Sites: An Anatomical Approach. In: Rapp, G., Mulholland, S.C. (eds) Phytolith Systematics. Advances in Archaeological and Museum Science, vol 1. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-1155-1_7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-1155-1_7
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