What has biogenic silica ever done for us?

April 3, 2024
WDG

Siliceous Microfossils Meeting

  • Date: Friday 24 May 2024
  • Location: Institute for Biodiversity & Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam

Program

  • 13:00-14:00 – Palynologische Kring society annual meeting
  • 14:00-14:15 – Coffee
  • 14:15-15:45 – Seminar series
    • Using phytolith analysis to detect palm enrichment in Amazonia Nina Witteveen (University of Amsterdam)
    • Starch grains as indicators of plant food consumption in Neanderthals and Early Modern Humans Amanda Henry (University of Leiden)
    • Paleoenvironmental history of an archaeological lagoon in Central Italy: Insights from diatom analysis Majoi Nacimiento, Teye Aukes & Jan Sevink (University of Amsterdam)
  • 15:45-17:30 – Laboratory activities
    • Advances in topical phytolith identification Nina Witteveen (University of Amsterdam)
    • Finding Suitable Grounds – combining the on/off site approach through phytolith investigation in Flevoland Ana Smuk (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen)

If you are not already a member and would like to attend please contact the society via email or the web portal: https://www.palynologischekring.nl/contact/

To find out more about the Palynologische Kring click here to visit the web site.

Scientific Methods in Archaeology

November 21, 2018
WDG

VU AmsterdamOver the last two weeks I have been giving my lectures at the VU Amsterdam “Scientific Methods in Archaeology” bachelor program. In my lectures we think about how to detect past environmental change with particular reference to tracking past human activities. As part of our exploration of past human-environment-climate interactions each student is asked to choose a scientific article, summerise it, and we then discuss it in class. The three papers sected this year covered the Neolithic of the Netherlands (Weijdema et al., 2011), a overview of Mediterranean and north African cultural adaptations to drough events during the Holocene (Mercuri et al., 2011), and an exploration of the role of humans in mega-faunal extinctions in South America (Villavicencio et al., 2015). All papers provided interesting points of discussion and an opportunity to think about different aspects of how we investigate past environmental and societal change.

Read the full student summaries below.

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