AN ARCHAEOBOTANICAL GUIDE TO THE NORTHERN GREAT BASIN
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Date
2024-09
Authors
Di Fiore, Sofia
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
Archaeobotany—the study of plants recovered from archaeological sites—is a discipline that offers one the opportunity to peer into the past and look at what the lives of humans looked like in times we will never experience. Archaeobotanical investigations are particularly important to the understanding of how human populations adapt to changing environments, as changes in botanical resources due to climactic shifts necessitate changes in traditional lifeways, shaping human cultures. This thesis reviews the archaeobotanical research history of the Northern Great Basin, a unique and isolated part of the intermountain west with an extensive history of human occupation that makes it an important locus of archaeological study, providing the opportunity for researchers to gain a deep time view of how humans interact with their environment. This project details ten of likely hundreds of plant species represented in the area’s archaeological record, drawing inspiration from traditional plant guides to create a proof-of concept look into the human-environmental connection in this region.
Description
66 pages
Keywords
Great Basin, Archaeology, Botany, Traditional subsistence practices, Indigenous lifeways