Abstract
In this chapter I focus on contemporary practices and approaches in paleoethnobotany beyond diet, environment, and ecology as illustrated by the papers of this volume, and by the contributions of Christine A. Hastorf. I discuss approaches for seeking “the invisible,” insights into spatiotemporal characteristics of rituals, and revealing the social realm through paleoethnobotany. Inferring complex human behaviors from the archaeobotanical record is both challenging and rewarding.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Hastorf, C. A. (2001). Making the invisible visible: The hidden jewels of archaeology. In P. Drooker (Ed.), Fleeting identities: Perishable material culture in archaeological research (pp. 27–42, Center for Archaeological Investigations Occasional Paper 28). Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press.
Hastorf, C. A. (2003). Community with ancestors: Ceremonies and social memory in the Middle Formative at Chiripa, Bolivia. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, 22(4), 305–332.
Hastorf, C. A. (2007). Archaeological Andean rituals: Performance, liturgy, and meaning. In E. Kryriakidis (Ed.), The archaeology of ritual (pp. 77–107). Los Angeles, CA: UCLA Cotsen Press.
Hastorf, C. A. (2008a). Food and feasting, social and political aspects. In D. M. Pearsall (Ed.), Encyclopedia of archaeology (pp. 1386–1395). Oxford: Academic Press.
Hastorf, C. A. (2008b). Paleoethnobotany. In D. M. Pearsall (Ed.), Encyclopedia of archaeology (pp. 1790–1795). Oxford: Academic Press.
Morehart, C. T., & Morell-Hart, S. (2013). Beyond the ecofact: Toward a social paleoethnobotany in Mesoamerica. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, 22(2), 483–511.
Pearsall, D. M. (2015). Paleoethnobotany: A handbook of procedures (3rd ed.). Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Pearsall, D.M. (2017). Commentary: Paleoethnobotany Beyond Diet, Environment, and Ecology. In: Sayre, M., Bruno, M. (eds) Social Perspectives on Ancient Lives from Paleoethnobotanical Data. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-52849-6_9
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-52849-6_9
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-52847-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-52849-6
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)