Flotation

Definition

Flotation is a technique used in archaeology to recover small artifacts and ecofacts from soil samples by separating lighter materials from heavier ones. This process helps archaeologists analyze ancient plant remains and other organic materials, providing valuable insights into past human behavior, environmental conditions, and subsistence practices.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Flotation involves passing water through soil samples to separate lighter organic materials from heavier soil particles, making it easier to recover small items.
2. This method is crucial for retrieving fragile plant remains, seeds, and wood that might otherwise be overlooked during traditional excavation techniques.
3. Flotation can help reconstruct ancient diets by revealing the types of plants that were utilized by past populations, shedding light on their agricultural practices.
4. It can also indicate environmental changes over time, as variations in recovered ecofacts can reflect shifts in climate or land use.
5. The use of flotation has become standard practice in archaeological fieldwork, allowing for a more comprehensive understanding of ancient ecosystems.

Review Questions

• How does flotation enhance the recovery of artifacts and ecofacts during archaeological excavations?
  • Flotation enhances artifact recovery by enabling archaeologists to separate lightweight organic materials from denser soil. This process allows for the collection of small items like seeds and charcoal that may be missed using traditional excavation methods. By using water to facilitate this separation, flotation provides a systematic way to gather critical data regarding past human activities and environmental conditions.
• Discuss the implications of flotation for understanding ancient diets and agricultural practices.
  • Flotation has significant implications for understanding ancient diets and agricultural practices by enabling the recovery of plant remains that are critical for dietary reconstruction. The types of seeds, grains, and other plant materials collected through flotation offer insights into what ancient people ate and how they cultivated crops. This information can reveal important details about farming techniques, food storage, and the relationships between communities and their environments.
• Evaluate how flotation contributes to our overall understanding of past human-environment interactions in archaeology.
  • Flotation contributes to our understanding of past human-environment interactions by providing data on the types of plants that were present in a given area and their uses by ancient peoples. Analyzing ecofacts recovered through flotation allows researchers to track changes in vegetation over time and correlate these shifts with human activities such as agriculture or foraging. This not only helps illustrate how humans adapted to their environment but also highlights the impacts they had on it, offering a deeper perspective on sustainability and resource management throughout history.

Related terms

Paleoethnobotany: The study of ancient plant remains to understand past human-plant interactions and the role of plants in ancient societies.

Ecofacts: Natural objects that provide information about past environments or human interactions with nature, such as seeds, pollen, and animal bones.

Sediment Analysis: The examination of soil layers to understand the stratigraphy of an archaeological site and the contexts of artifacts and ecofacts found within.