Description
Phytolith studies have since long formed an established component of environmental archaeology. However, inrecent years a number of methodological innovations have taken place, such as improved protocols for studying
phytoliths in micromorphological thin sections, as well as an increase in experimental studies.
This presentation will focus on both, using the case study of a Holocene peat deposit at Rue des Boîteux, located in
the centre of Brussels (Belgium). The peat deposit consists of two parts: the natural part of the peat sequence overlain
by a thick “Dark Earth”. First, an evaluation of phytolith content, preservation, and the phytolith assemblages present
is made. A comparison between the natural peat accumulation and the Dark Earth makes it possible to evaluate the
environmental impact of human activities on the landscape of the river Senne Valley.
Second, two methodological research questions are addressed. Two different phytolith extraction protocols on the
same soil samples are tested and compared. Theoretically, both protocols should yield similar phytolith results, but
this may not be the case in practice. Finally, my study intends to investigate the phytolith content of the Dark Earths
using the integrated approach combining bulk samples and soil thin sections pioneered by Vrydaghs and Devos.
| Period | 1 Dec 2018 |
|---|---|
| Event title | 39th Conference of the Association for Environmental Archaeology (AEA) : Back where it all began! Archaeological science from the ‘Kitchen Midden Commissions’ to the present |
| Event type | Conference |
| Location | Denmark, DenmarkShow on map |