image/svg+xml121XIV/1/2023INTERDISCIPLINARIA ARCHAEOLOGICANATURAL SCIENCES IN ARCHAEOLOGYhomepage: http://www.iansa.euA look at the regionOf Humans and Science. Laboratory of Archaeobotany and Palaeoecology and the Second Decade of Environmental Archaeology at the University of South BohemiaJaromír Beneš1,2*, Michaela Ptáková1, Lenka Kovačiková1, Tereza Majerovičová1,2, Alexandra Bernardová1, Kristýna Budilová1, Patricia Ayipey1,2, Ivana Šitnerová1,2, Jiří Bumerl1,2Veronika Komárková1, Jaromír Kovárník1, Adéla Pokorná3, Yulia Salova1, Libor Vobejda2, Tereza Šálková1,2, Jarmila Skružná1,4, Jan Novák51 Laboratory of Archaeobotany and Palaeoecology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Na Zlaté stoce 3, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic2Institute of Archaeology, Faculty of Arts, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 31, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic3Institute of Archaeology, Academy of Sciences, Czech Republic, Letenská 4, 118 01 Praha, Czech Republic4Prague Botanical Garden, Trojská 800/196, 171 00 Praha, Czech Republic5Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Benátská 2, 128 00 Praha, Czech Republic1. IntroductionThe Laboratory of Archaeobotany and Palaeoecology (LAPE) was established in 2002 at the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice (USB). The then decision of the Dean of the Faculty of Biology (today Faculty of Science) formally confrmed the activities of specialists who had been conducting archaeobotanical and archaeozoological research at the Department of Botany since 1996 (Beneš et al., 2022). Time is moving fast, and another long decade has passed since the last review of the activities of the Department (Bernardová et al., 2012). How has the lab evolved, and what is its current activity? All this is the topic of this outline. First, it should be said that LAPE has undergone a transformation over the last ten years, especially in developing academic projects and stabilising its activities. The original role of a service laboratory for archaeobotanical and archaeozoological analyses has been transformed into a standard research unit. The increasing number of students has then led to the development of a training centre, not only in the feld of doctoral studies for the Department of Botany and Zoology, but in particular its interdependence with the Institute of Archaeology of the Faculty of Arts of the USB.Another signifcant technical change took place in 2013, when LAPE and the Centre for Polar Ecology moved to a newly-renovated building at Na Zlaté stoce 3 on the edge Volume XIV ● Issue 1/2023 ● Pages 121–136*Corresponding author. E-mail: benes@jcu.czARTICLE INFOArticle history:Received: 11thDecember 2022Accepted: 12thJanuary 2023DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.24916/iansa.2023.1.9Key words:archaeobotanypalaeoecologyarchaeozoologyEuropeAfricaCzech RepublicABSTRACTThe Laboratory of Archaeobotany and Palaeoecology (LAPE), of the Faculty of Science of the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice (USB) was founded twenty years ago. The department is closely linked with the Institute of Archaeology of the USB in terms of staf and projects, which are mainly focused on the issues of paleoecology, archaeobotany and archaeozoology. The present paper discusses the teaching of environmental archaeology and projects focusing on Europe, but also on some areas of Africa. The text provides background information on the teaching and research projects that have taken place over the last ten years, but also on the research and scientifc directions that the department is currently pursuing.
image/svg+xmlIANSA 2023 ● XIV/1 ● 121–136Jaromír Beneš, Michaela Ptáková, Lenka Kovačiková, Tereza Majerovičová, Alexandra Bernardová, Kristýna Budilová, Patricia Ayipey, Ivana Šitnerová, Jiří Bumerl, Veronika Komárková, Jaromír Kovárník, Adéla Pokorná, Yulia Salova, Libor Vobejda, Tereza Šálková, Jarmila Skružná, Jan Novák: Of Humans and Science. Laboratory of Archaeobotany and Palaeoecology and the Second Decade of Environmental Archaeology at the University of South Bohemia122of the university campus (Figure 1). LAPE thus gained important premises for its activities. In early 2014, a major formal change in status occurred when LAPE, originally a laboratory within the Department of Botany, was transformed into an independent unit within the Faculty of Science. Thus, LAPE operates as a training workplace for students in botany, zoology and archaeology. The cooperation with the USB Institute of Archaeology has been essential, and the two departments are linked by several projects and personnel ties. While the USB Institute of Archaeology primarily has facilities for studying artefacts, depositories, and feld equipment for archaeological research, LAPE is equipped with a chemical laboratory, microscopy facilities, and other necessary equipment for bioarchaeological research and teaching.2. Education activity of LAPE in 2012–2022LAPE members have traditionally been involved in teaching botany. Pedagogically, LAPE is still associated with the Department of Botany and Department of Zoology. In the framework of Master’s and PhD studies in Botany, LAPE staf are responsible for the specialisation of archaeobotany and archaeozoology. In this regard, the University of South Bohemia is the only educational institution in the Czech Republic where both disciplines can be studied can be studied. In parallel, LAPE members teach these disciplines at the Institute of Archaeology, Faculty of Arts, in a modifed way designed for archaeology students. Teaching is carried out in several key courses within the Master’s degree. In addition to the Archaeobotany or Archaeozoology courses (Figure 3.), LAPE members teach Historical Ethnobotany, Imaging in Bioarchaeology, and several practical courses. The link with the USB Institute of Archaeology has been implemented since the undergraduate degree started, where LAPE members provide the Introduction to the Environmental Archaeology course. This two-semester course is a major motivational tool to attract new quality students. Already undergraduate students can choose to prepare their student qualifcation thesis within the environment and facilities of LAPE which is equipped for this purpose with high-quality research microscopes (Figure 8), literature and an archaeobotanical reference collection.In the feld of archaeobotany, which is dominant at LAPE, the department provides training and facilities for botany and archaeology doctoral students. This ofers possibilities for developing interdisciplinary relationships: very valuable and enriching for the students of both faculties. The Institute has several international collaborations in the feld of archaeobotany, especially with universities in Modena (Anna Maria Mercuri) and La Sapienza Rome (Laura Sadori), as well as with the University of Constantin of Philosopher in Nitra (Mária Hajnalová) and, more recently, with the Johannes Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main (Alexa Höhn). There is a traditional and long-standing collaboration with the Archaeobotany Department of the Institute of Archaeology, University College London (Dorian Fuller).LAPE has at its disposal a comparative osteological collection of Holocene mammals, birds, and fsh that have originated in central Europe. It is continuously being expanded and completed in cooperation with the Department of Zoology at the Faculty of Science USB. Except for the recent animal species, it also includes some skeletal specimens from archaeological excavations. The animal skeletal collection is used for the practical teaching of osteology in courses intended for students of biology and archaeology at the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Arts, USB (for example, Archaeozoology, Archaeozoology for Archaeologists, Imaging in Bioarchaeology). At the same time, it is indispensable for analyses of animal bone assemblages when needed for dissertations and student projects. Postgraduate qualifcations of students in the feld of archaeozoology may be evaluated and deepened abroad