Phytolyth Analysis: An Archaeological and Geological Perspective

by Dolores R. Piperno

This is a methodological guide to the use of plant opal phytolith analysis in paleoenvironmental and paleoecological reconstruction. It is the first book-length treatment of this promising technique, which has undergone rapid development within the past few years and is now beginning to be used with considerable success by paleobotanists who serve the archaeological and paleontological research communities. It will be mandatory reading for all paleobotanists, paleoecologists, and archaeological scientists.

280 pages, Hardcover

First published December 28, 1987

About the author

Dr. Dolores Piperno, Curator of Archaeobotany and South American Archaeology, is an archaeologist and archaeobotanist. Her research focuses on the antiquity and character of prehistoric human adaptations in the lowland tropical regions of the world, including agricultural orgins, together with the biogeographical and climatological history of the tropical biome