Starch Remains and Stone Boiling in the Texas Panhandle Part II: Identifying Wildrye (Elymus spp.)

While the exploitation of grass seeds for food is a global phenomenon of great antiquity, there is little direct evidence for the consumption of wild grasses in the Plains. Recent investigations in the Texas panhandle have led to the discovery of the starchy remains of wildrye (Elymus spp.) grass se...

Ausführliche Beschreibung

Bibliographische Detailangaben
Veröffentlicht in:Plains Anthropologist. - Taylor & Francis, Ltd.. - 56(2011), 218, Seite 109-119
1. Verfasser: Perry, Linda (VerfasserIn)
Weitere Verfasser: Quigg, J. Michael
Format: Online-Aufsatz
Sprache:English
Veröffentlicht: 2011
Zugriff auf das übergeordnete Werk:Plains Anthropologist
Schlagworte:Physical sciences Biological sciences Culture Applied sciences Social sciences
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:While the exploitation of grass seeds for food is a global phenomenon of great antiquity, there is little direct evidence for the consumption of wild grasses in the Plains. Recent investigations in the Texas panhandle have led to the discovery of the starchy remains of wildrye (Elymus spp.) grass seeds on both grinding and boiling stones from three sites inhabited by hunter/gatherers. Here we present a step-by-step narrative explaining how wildrye was identified in these securely food-related contexts. We hope that this discussion will augment the record of grass seed exploitation in the Plains by spurring more archaeobotanical work in the field of microfossil analysis.
ISSN:2052546X