Naomi F. Miller and Applied Paleoethnobotany of Southwest Asia

Summary

Naomi F. Miller’s work exemplifies the paleoethnobotanical approach towards understanding human interactions with botanical landscapes in the past using archaeological remains, rooted in theoretical traditions of American anthropological archaeology. On the occasion of her Fryxell Award in Interdisciplinary Research from the SAA, we reflect on her body of published research and active fieldwork to draw out five themes that highlight areas in which Miller has made significant contributions to the field. These include: 1) interpretation of archaeobotanical deposits (best exemplified by her insights into the use of animal dung as fuel); 2) quantitative methods for archaeobotanical data analysis; 3) regional synthesis of archaeobotanical datasets to reconstruct environmental and agricultural change through time; 4) integration of botanical datasets with textual and iconographic evidence for plant use, as well as parallel lines of archaeological inquiry (e.g., faunal analysis); and 5) the conservation of archaeological sites via modern plant management strategies. We emphasize the influence of Miller’s work on the next generation of scholars in paleoethnobotany, both within and beyond Southwest Asia.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• 2017 Fryxell Award Symposium: Papers in Honor of Naomi F. Miller

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 14553