Investigating past human-seaweed relationships through microscopic residues

The Research Seminar Series in Archaeology and Environmental archaeology invites you to a seminar with guest speaker Shalen Prado, a postdoctoral researcher at The University of Stavanger. Prado will speak on the topic of "Investigating past human-seaweed relationships through microscopic residues: the potential of diatom, starch and phytolith analyses in coastal archaeology".

Abstract

Seaweeds and coastal plants have been central in human-environment relationships around the North Atlantic (and indeed globally) for millennia; however, archaeologically they are notoriously challenging to recover. This presentation discusses seaweeds and archaeology through the SEARCH project (Seaweeds in Archaeology to promote sustainable consumption) led by Dr. Shalen Prado (University of Stavanger). SEARCH aims to develop microscopic approaches to trace ancient seaweed use through multiple proxies such as diatoms, starch grains, and phytoliths. Dr. Prado will discuss the early results of her comparative reference collection (i.e., discussing which proxies are diagnostic), and situate this research within regional (i.e., North Atlantic) and global approaches to tracing seaweeds in archaeology.

About the lecturer

Dr. Shalen Prado, University of Stavanger
Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellow
SEARCH Project
Portfolio

About the seminar series

The Research Seminar Series in Archaeology and Environmental Archaeology presents and discusses current research in archaeology and environmental archaeology.
See more upcoming seminars in the series