Warning: Use of undefined constant referer - assumed 'referer' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 102

Warning: Use of undefined constant host - assumed 'host' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 105

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays:102) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 106

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays:102) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 109
The Use Of Pollen Analysis In - Online Term Paper

The Use Of Pollen Analysis In


The remains of ancient plants can provide a wealth of archaeological information about a site, with many methods being available to the archaeologist engaged in extracting this data. Perhaps one of the most widely-known of these techniques, possibly because of its attractive nature, is pollen analysis - a technique developed in the early years of the twentieth century by, like so many archaeological techniques, a geologist -- the Norwegian Lennart van Post. To understand the technique and the uses to which it may be put, we must first examine the biological nature of the material itself.
Because of a hard outer shell - the exine - pollen is particularly resistant to chemical attack and ...

Want to read the rest of this paper?
Join Essayworld today to view this entire essay
and over 50,000 other term papers

Though one further factor in the make-up of pollen enhances its value, namely the wide morphological variation between pollen from different plant species, most of which can be detected and classified using normal laboratory equipment.
Pollen analysis is a technique which demands a high level of skill on the part of the excavator, scientist and interpreter to enable it to fulfil its potential. Collection of pollen samples can prove troublesome, the risk of cross-contamination is significant and efforts must be made to minimize the effect of any excavational bias. The number and ratio of pollen grains present in a sample can also be skewed by factors such as the orientation of the site and the nature of the pollen grains themselves, for example, trees such as pine produce much greater quantities of pollen than species such as oak and thus have a tendency to overrepresent themselves in the pollen record.
Once collected the pollen is extracted from the soil, usually in the laboratory ...

Get instant access to over 50,000 essays.
Write better papers. Get better grades.


Already a member? Login


CITE THIS PAGE:

The Use Of Pollen Analysis In. (2008, January 6). Retrieved December 23, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Use-Of-Pollen-Analysis-In/77034
"The Use Of Pollen Analysis In." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 6 Jan. 2008. Web. 23 Dec. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Use-Of-Pollen-Analysis-In/77034>
"The Use Of Pollen Analysis In." Essayworld.com. January 6, 2008. Accessed December 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Use-Of-Pollen-Analysis-In/77034.
"The Use Of Pollen Analysis In." Essayworld.com. January 6, 2008. Accessed December 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Use-Of-Pollen-Analysis-In/77034.
JOIN NOW
Join today and get instant access to this and 50,000+ other essays


PAPER DETAILS
Added: 1/6/2008 04:49:24 AM
Category: Science & Nature
Type: Free Paper
Words: 930
Pages: 4

Save | Report

SHARE THIS PAPER

SAVED ESSAYS
Save and find your favorite essays easier

SIMILAR ESSAYS
» Van Gennep's "Rites Of Passage"...
Copyright | Cancel | Contact Us

Copyright © 2024 Essayworld. All rights reserved