Phytolith Assemblages as a Proxy for Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction in the Southern Caucasus

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Pleistocene Landscapes and Hominin Behavior in the Armenian Highlands" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The Southern Caucasus is a biodiversity hotspot, encompassing a spectrum of environments from temperate forests to semidesert steppes. Having seen hominin occupation since 1.8 Ma, the region offers a unique opportunity to study the expansion and evolution of the genus Homo, as well as their interaction with the local environment. Unfortunately, poor preservation of pollen and macrobotanical remains has made paleoenvironmental studies in the region difficult. Here, we present the first results of a pilot study investigating the phytolith assemblages of surface sediments from modern vegetation units. Through Linear Discriminant Analysis combined with the interpretation of relative abundances of phytoliths, this study is able to show the distinct phytolith signal produced by different vegetation units. In addition, we show how these modern phytolith assemblages can be used as a paleoenvironmental proxy in the reconstruction of past vegetation. Through the use of phytolith analysis, it is possible to obtain high-quality paleoenvironmental data that can be applied to questions pertaining to the local environment, and the interaction between ancient hominins and their surroundings, at various points in prehistory.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)   •
• Pleistocene Landscapes and Hominin Behavior in the Armenian Highlands

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 36207.0