Background Opal phytoliths (microscopic silica bodies produced in and between the cells of
many plants) are a very resilient, often preserved type of plant microfossil. With the …

Phytoliths are silica casts of plant cells, created within and between living tissues across
almost all plant clades. Because they are abundant, durable and distinctive, phytoliths are …

Little is known about the introduction of domesticated crops in Sudan. Substantial early
evidence of the cereals wheat and barley has, until recently, been mainly restricted to the …

The earliest evidence of agriculture in the Horn of Africa dates to the Pre-Aksumite period
(ca. 1600 BCE). Domesticated C3 cereals are considered to have been introduced from the …

We analyze the processing of cereals and its role at Early Neolithic Göbekli Tepe,
southeastern Anatolia (10th/9th millennium BC), a site that has aroused much debate in …

Palaeoethnobotanical studies completed at the archaeological site of Mezber in Tigrai,
Ethiopia, have led to important new insights on plant husbandry practices of the Pre …

The Arecaceae (palm) family is one of the most common and economically important plant
groups in Amazonia, and play large roles in ecosystem functioning and carbon dynamics …

Introduction and objectives Although the Iberian Peninsula is a key area for understanding
the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition and the demise of the Neandertals, valuable …

Phytoliths in the inflorescence of Poaceae plants can be of high taxonomic value in some
archaeological contexts and provide insight into plant taxonomy and crop domestication …

This special issue examines new trends in phytolith scholarship and assesses the future
direction of this field of research. The papers presented represent a broader shift in phytolith …