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In Russian soil science “biomorphic analysis” refers to the combined study of phytoliths, spores, pollen, diatoms, sponge spicules, cuticle casts, detritus, and other microscopic plant parts (Golyeva 1997). Most soils—including natural strata, plowed fields, pastures, and cultural layers—contain different and distinctive arrays of these microscopic plant remains. The primary purpose of biomorphic analysis in Russian soil science is the determination of evolutionary trends of soils and anthropogenic sediments and the determination of modern and past environmental conditions. For archaeological purposes, a combined biomorphic analysis increases the reliability of individual data and truthfulness of the reconstruction of a behavioral activity or depositional context (Table 11.1). This approach combines paleoethnobotanical techniques (Pearsall 1989) with the study of detritus and grain size as used in soil micromorphological studies (Courty et al. 1989). While this type of analysis has been developed to study naturally deposited soils, its application in archaeology is being developed in the steppe regions of 11 Microscopic Analysis of Soils from Anau North Alexandra A. Golyeva Table 11.1 Inferences from Biomorphic Data Eurasia, where ancient soil surfaces preserved underneath datable burial mounds provide a eco-data baseline in relationship with early herding activities on the steppe (Golyeva 1999). Today, we can include this type of analysis in archaeological and paleoenvironmental research as an effective technique in the documentation of archaeological contexts. The present research is an attempt to try this type of analysis in a new environment—Central Asia. However, it must be noted that Anau is practically mythical in the history of paleoethnobotanical science because it was the place where the investigations identified some of the first microscopic plant parts from archaeological contexts (Schellenberg 1908). At Anau, we have sampled archaeological contexts from both the north and south mounds which have re-opened old questions of how humans used the environment with new data. We had many questions about the nature of the deposits through time—whether they were anthropomorphic or naturally deposited, and in some cases biomorphic data helps to differentiate between these. In 1999, ten further samples were taken from the upper fill of rooms to provide information on other soil contexts within an archaeological site. This complementary analysis is a preliminary attempt in differentiating between occupational debris and naturally deposited strata. Analytic Categories Pollen and Spores Pollen and spore analysis is based on three factors: (1) the abundant pollen and spores that plants created during flowering; (2) the microscopic plant parts have, in each specific region, distinctive forms which allow for their identification to a certain degree; (3) pollen and spores are very durable and stable which allow them to remain in different deposits for a long time In some depositional conditions the degree of pollen preservation is very low. They do not preserve if they are burned, thus are not a complementary database for charcoal samples from hearths. In arid environments , such as Anau, pollen is often destroyed due to aerobic conditions and high microbiological and biochemical activity. The favorable conditions for pollen preservation is where the grains are buried quickly and deeply and where high concentrations of flowering plants permit the quantity of pollen to be adequate for analysis. Phytolith Analysis Where pollen is not preserved, phytoliths often provide an alternative to understanding the plants in use in a certain deposit (Golyeva 1995, Golyeva et al. 1995). Phytoliths are immune to aerobic microbial destruction, but do melt in high fires. In contrast to pollen, phytoliths do not participate in aerial migration and in most cases characterize the plant communities of the local area. Phytoliths (Figure 11.1a) represent microscopic opal plant “stones” that form in living plants owing to intracellular precipitation of silica. The morphology of phytoliths resembles that of the host plant cells. Therefore, these bodies can be used as diagnostics of vegetation and investigation into the evolution of the plant cover (Piperno, 1988). Biogenic silica enters the soil and accumulates in fine fractions forming assemblages characteristic of the local plant communities. Phytoliths can, however, migrate through deposits, and the stability of phytoliths in deposits is connected with the depth of their occurrence (Jones and Beavers 1964). There are some important differences in the interpretative possibilities of phytoliths from natural vs archaeological deposits (Table 11.2). Color can be used to estimate post-depositional effects on the deposits; morphology provides information on plant diversity. Abundance of phytoliths in the samples is a measure of the amount of plant debris in the deposit and can provide information in conjunction with other...

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