Archaeo-botany
Also called: Archaeobotany, Palaeobotany · Topic: Studying Indian History: Sources, Dating and Historiography · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 1 "Bricks, Beads and Bones"
Meaning
Archaeo-botany is the study of ancient plant remains found at excavation sites, such as charred (burnt) grains and seeds. Archaeo-botanists use these remains to learn what people grew, ate and gathered. This helps rebuild the farming and diet of societies that left no readable writing. It is one of the newer scientific aids to archaeology.
Example
Burnt grains from Harappan sites show that the Harappans grew wheat, barley, lentil, chickpea and sesame. Millets are found at sites in Gujarat, while rice turns up only rarely.
Don't confuse with
- Palaeobotany: the study of fossil plants from the deep geological past, long before humans. Archaeo-botany studies plants linked to human settlements.
- Archaeo-zoology: the study of animal bones from sites, not plant remains.
Related concepts
- Sources of history
- Archaeology
- Numismatics
- Underwater archaeology
- Literary sources
- Oral tradition
- Hagiography
- Kalhana
- Rajatarangini
- Indica of Arrian