Current Research Postgraduates

Mr Don O'Meara

(email at d.p.o'meara@durham.ac.uk)

Research Topic

Human digestion as an agent of archaeobotancial taphonomy.

Abstract

The issue of taphonomy has been approached unevenly within the field of Environmental Archaeology. For archaeozoology the issue has, and continues to be, dealt with in great detail. In contrast taphonomy within archaeobotanical issues has not received the notice it may deserve. In particular references to the digestive taphonomy of plant remains from well-preserved medieval waterlogged deposits is often approached in a theoretical manner, whereas fish remains from the same deposits can be studied in light of previous experimental work (Jones 1986). This study aims to more comprehensively examine the taphonomic processes to which plant remains may be exposed to from their time of deposition until their examination by the archaeobotanist.

Research Groups

• Bioarchaeology Research Group