About this Research Topic
Plant microfossil residue analysis has gained more and more popularity in the archaeology field during recent twenty years. Among these studies, ancient plant starch analysis has played a significant role in helping archaeologists to reconstruct the ancient human’s subsistence, especially the human plant diet. As a basic component of carbohydrates, starch grains were commonly found in the edible plant materials that the ancient humans gathered and were left on the surface of utensils and human teeth during the processing and chewing of the ancient humans and were buried with the site at the same time. With modern technology, these ancient starch remains could be extracted. Different plant species produce starch grains in diverse morphologies, thus make it possible to identify individual starch grains into a specific species or genus, or specific plant organ. Therefore, the wider application of starch grain analysis will greatly deepen our understanding of the plant-based diet of the hominid at the site and further help us to explain the livelihoods patterns that hominid adopted at that time.
The proposed research topic is aiming at presenting the most advanced scientific achievements of ancient starch research, promoting the more extensive application of this interdisciplinary subject in the archaeology field. The topic will focus on the evaluation of the validity of starch residues, starch biological identification, the discussions of people’s plant diet change from Pleistocene to Late Holocene, the global agriculture progress, the starch residue extraction techniques, and the discussions about the associated research technologies. With this research topic, we hope to extend the ancient starch studies, enabling archaeologists around the world to know more about this emerging discipline and apply it to their own projects.
1) Archaeological plant residue sampling and the associated techniques
2) Ancient human’s plant diet and subsistence pattern
3) Issues about agriculture development around the world
4) Starch granule identification methods
5) Stimulation experimental studies associated with starch granule analysis
6) The ways starchy foods are processed
7) Modern starch granule comparative database
8) Ancient starch granule taphonomy and the evaluation of contamination
9) Research review of ancient starch analysis
10) Plant-based diet and nutrition of ancient humans
11) The ancient artifact function study
12) Carbohydrate food and human evolution
13) The case studies of ancient starch granule analysis in archaeological sites
14) Ancient starch and the human-related animal’s diet
15) Dental residue analysis
16) Other topics associated with ancient starch remains
The proposed research topic is aiming at presenting the most advanced scientific achievements of ancient starch research, promoting the more extensive application of this interdisciplinary subject in the archaeology field. The topic will focus on the evaluation of the validity of starch residues, starch biological identification, the discussions of people’s plant diet change from Pleistocene to Late Holocene, the global agriculture progress, the starch residue extraction techniques, and the discussions about the associated research technologies. With this research topic, we hope to extend the ancient starch studies, enabling archaeologists around the world to know more about this emerging discipline and apply it to their own projects.
1) Archaeological plant residue sampling and the associated techniques
2) Ancient human’s plant diet and subsistence pattern
3) Issues about agriculture development around the world
4) Starch granule identification methods
5) Stimulation experimental studies associated with starch granule analysis
6) The ways starchy foods are processed
7) Modern starch granule comparative database
8) Ancient starch granule taphonomy and the evaluation of contamination
9) Research review of ancient starch analysis
10) Plant-based diet and nutrition of ancient humans
11) The ancient artifact function study
12) Carbohydrate food and human evolution
13) The case studies of ancient starch granule analysis in archaeological sites
14) Ancient starch and the human-related animal’s diet
15) Dental residue analysis
16) Other topics associated with ancient starch remains
Keywords: Starch granule, Ancient human, Human subsistence, Plant Utilization
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