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Phytolith Systematics: An Introduction

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Phytolith Systematics

Part of the book series: Advances in Archaeological and Museum Science ((AAMS,volume 1))

Abstract

Phytoliths, microscopic mineral deposits in plants, have the potential for encoding significant archaeological and paleoenvironmental information. Although common throughout the plant kingdom and preserved under varied environmental conditions, only recently have phytoliths been examined in the systematic manner that yields data useful for interpretation. The most crucial area remains systematics—the description of shape and distribution data within the plant kingdom. Calcium phytoliths have been observed from the beginnings of microscopy, yet crystal and amorphous shapes are still described only in the most general of terms. Opal phytoliths have received much recent attention, but many plant taxa are yet to be carefully examined. A wide variety of approaches has been taken towards phytolith classification, often based on specific applications of the data. This volume presents some of the current research on various topics within phytolith systematics.

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Authors
  1. Susan C. Mulholland
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  2. George Rapp Jr.
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Archaeometry Laboratory, University of Minnesota, Duluth, USA

    George Rapp Jr. (Professor of Geology and Archaeology and Director) & Susan C. Mulholland (Adjunct Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Associate Director) (Professor of Geology and Archaeology and Director) &  (Adjunct Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Associate Director)

  2. Center for Ancient Studies, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, USA

    George Rapp Jr. (Professor of Geology and Archaeology and Director) & Susan C. Mulholland (Adjunct Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Associate Director) (Professor of Geology and Archaeology and Director) &  (Adjunct Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Associate Director)

  3. Boston University, USA

    George Rapp Jr. (Professor of Geology and Archaeology and Director) (Professor of Geology and Archaeology and Director)

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Mulholland, S.C., Rapp, G. (1992). Phytolith Systematics: An Introduction. In: Rapp, G., Mulholland, S.C. (eds) Phytolith Systematics. Advances in Archaeological and Museum Science, vol 1. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-1155-1_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-1155-1_1

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4899-1157-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-1155-1

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