ibclogo XVI International Botanical Congess


Abstract Number: 5813
Poster No. = 2297


TECHNIQUE FOR ANALYSING CHARCOAL FROM ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES.


D. R. Dobbins and K. Hammerschmidt, Millersville University, Millersville, PA 17551, USA


Charcoal plant material originally used to construct igloo-huts was excavated from a 600 year-old village of Susquehannock Indians of Pennsylvania. Charcoal is difficult to study because it splinters and crumbles during processing. Plastic embedding achieved excellent detail of secondary xylem. Cell wall architecture was clearly discernable for identification of the wood type and species. Ethanol and butanol caused the charcoal to swell and splinter, however pure acetone did not. Charcoal was easily embedded in a low viscosity epoxy resin. Analysis of 1 micron-thick stem sections indicated the tribe was migratory and occupied villages for 10-12 years. Since all charcoal was hardwood in what was a dominant conifer forest suggests that when Indians migrated they planted hardwood saplings, which would be usable when the tribe returned to the site 10-12 years later.


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