Jon G. Hather

Charcoal analysis and the reconstruction of ancient woodland vegetation in the Konya Basin, south-central Anatolia, Turkey: results from the Neolithic site of Çatalhöyük East

Abstract. The results produced by charcoal analysis are used in conjuction with pollen evidence, geomorphological data and ecological analogues, in order to reconstruct ancient woodland vegetation in the Konya Basin and its surroundings during the Neolithic. Emphasis is placed on the structure, diversity and seasonal habit of different vegetation types, as well as their potential response to natural and/or anthropogenic disturbance. It is argued that such an approach to vegetation reconstruction enables better insights into palaeoenvironments as experienced by human groups in the past, and thus offers fruitful avenues for investigating the relationship of human societies with the natural environment.

The archaeobotany of subsistence in the Pacific

Abstract The archaeobotanical investigation of past subsistence is far more advanced in temperate and sub‐tropical regions of the world than in the humid tropics. Past subsistence strategies in the Pacific are little understood. In this paper the increasing amount of archaeobotanical evidence from the region is described. Two problematical areas of Pacific subsistence are examined: Lapita subsistence and the introduction of the sweet potato into the Pacific. The role of archaeobotany in the investigation of subsistence strategies in the humid tropics is discussed.

Mesolithic plant exploitation at the Roc del Migdia, Catalonia

Abstract Charred plant remains from the mesolithic site of Roc del Migdia have been analysed in detail. Hazel shell and endocarp fragments of sloe (Prunus spinosa L.) have been identified by incident light microscopy and an attempt has been made at the identification of quantities of parenchymatous plant remains through the use of the scanning electron microscope. A number of different classes of tissue are described and the implications of the results discussed.