Plant foods in the Upper Palaeolithic at Dolní Vӗstonice? Parenchyma redux

Abstract

The classic image of Upper Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers in Europe envisages them hunting large mammals in largely treeless landscapes. That is partly due to the nature of the surviving archaeological evidence, and the poor preservation of plant remains at such ancient sites. As this study illustrates, however, the potential of Upper Palaeolithic sites to yield macrofossil remains of plants gathered and processed by human groups has been underestimated. Large scale flotation of charred deposits from hearths such as that reported here at Dolní Vӗstonice II not only provides insight into the variety of flora that may have been locally available, but also suggests that some of it was being processed and consumed as food. The ability to exploit plant foods may have been a vital component in the successful colonisation of these cold European habitats.

Selective sweep on human amylase genes postdates the split with Neanderthals

“…Archaeological research in the Yana Valley (27 KYA) excavations concluded those who camped at the site hunted reindeer, horses and birds29. Archaeobotanical investigations at Dolní Vĕstonice II, Czech Republic, date to 30 KYA, at a latitude below the boreal zone, revealed extensive exploitation of dietary roots and tubers30 in addition to the hunting of reindeer and mammoth.…”

Asian Crop Dispersal in Africa and Late Holocene Human Adaptation to Tropical Environments

“…As a consequence, agriculture tends to be seen from a semi-arid perspective; better data on forest-zone crops might well transform existing models (Blench 2006, p. 203;Blench 2007, p. 607, emphasis added). While Blench's statement overlooks the many novel archaeobotanical methods that are now available for studying vegetative crops, such as starch, phytolith, parenchyma and pollen analyses (Goude et al 2019;Haberle 1995;Lentfer 2009;Mbida Mindzié et al 2000;Power et al 2015;Pryor et al 2013), these have only rarely been applied in Africa to address the question of Asian crop introductions, and are plagued by methodological issues associated with poor preservation and uncertain taxonomic specificity. As such, linguistics remains a key method of enquiry.…”

The chronology and function of a new circular mammoth-bone structure at Kostenki 11

“…These charcoals exhibit a cratered appearance with few discernible features, suggesting possible identification as parenchymous plant tissue (cells specialised in the storage of starch). When viewed under a scanning electron microscope, around 25 per cent of these pieces were identified as degraded conifer wood-a typical result when attempting to identify charred archaeological parenchyma (Hather 1993: 3;Pryor et al 2013). Of the remaining fragments, several exhibit partly preserved vessel elements, features that occur in flowering plants (Angiosperms) and not in the conifers that comprise the entirety of the Kostenki 11 charred wood assemblage.…”