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105
XIV/1/2023
INTERDISCIPLINARIA ARCHAEOLOGICA
NATURAL SCIENCES IN ARCHAEOLOGY
homepage: http://www.iansa.eu
Application of Phytolith (Microbiomorphic) and Non-Pollen Palynomorph
Analyses to the Geoarchaeological Study of the Graft Farmyard,
the Netherlands
Olga Druzhinina
1,2*+
, Dario Hruševar
3+
, Kasper Jurgen van den Berghe
1
, Nancy de Jong-Lambregts
4
,
Alexandra Golyeva
5
, Koraljka Bakrač
6
, Božena Mitić
3
1
FindX Research Company, Palestrinalaan Laan 1157, 8031VK Zwolle, the Netherlands
2
Institute of Oriental Stidies Russian Academy of Sciences, Rozhdestvenka Street 12, 107031 Moscow, Russia
3
University of Zagreb, Faculty of Science, Horvatovac 102a, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
4
Gemeente Alkmaar, Archaeological Centre, Bergerweg 1, 1815 AC Alkmaar, the Netherlands
5
Institute of Geography Russian Academy of Sciences, Staromonetniy Lane 29, 119017 Moscow, Russia
6
Croatian Geological Survey, Milana Sachsa 2, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
1. Introduction
During rescue excavations, archaeologists often have to
operate under the high pressure of time and fnances, and
when the desired scientifc assistance cannot be obtained. As
a result, a narrow range of geoarchaeological methods are
applied or a limited number of samples is analysed. In rescue
excavations carried out in the Netherlands, palynological
analysis and radiocarbon dating are the most common
methods used. Meanwhile, the palette of geoarchaeological
methods for archaeological research is rich and broad,
numbering at least two dozen and considering such types of
anthropogenic indicators as phytoliths, seeds, microcharcoal,
geochemical elements,
etc.
(Golyeva, 2001; 2008; Holliday
and Gartner, 2007; Wilson
et al.
, 2008; Cugny
et al.
, 2010;
Milek and Roberts, 2013; Dietre
et al.
, 2014; Cuenca-García,
2015; Shumilovskikh
et al.,
2016; Rashid
et al.
, 2019). In
this paper, two of the methods – phytolith (microbiomorphic)
and non-pollen palynomorphs analyses, generally accepted
as advanced, efcient and afordable methods, are discussed.
Phytolith analysis is one of the rapidly-developing, up-to-
date scientifc methods in archaeology and palaeoecology
(Rashid
et al.
, 2019). The considerable number of plants
which grew or were used in a certain area, leave evidence of
their prior existence in the form of phytoliths. Phytoliths are
resistant to destruction, and can persist in the soil or on the
surface of various objects for thousands of years (Piperno,
Volume XIV ● Issue 1/2023 ● 105–117
*Corresponding author. E-mail: olga.alex.druzhinina@gmail.com
+Joint frst authorship.
ARTICLE INFO
Article history:
Received: 28
th
February 2022
Accepted: 18
th
November 2022
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.24916/iansa.2023.1.8
Key words:
phytoliths
microbiomorphs
NPP
geoarchaeology
Middl Ages
Early Modern Time
North Holland
ABSTRACT
The aim of the present paper is to discuss the application of phytolith (microbiomorphic) and non-pollen
palynomorph (NPP) analyses to the geoarchaeological study of a Medieval – Early Modern Time period
farmyard in Graft, a settlement located in the polder region of North Holland, the Netherlands. The
authors have assessed the potential of the methods chosen for studying this type of archaeological site
during rescue excavations, when archaeologists often have a limited number of samples or methods for
geoarchaeological analysis. The studies conducted have proved the informative value and efectiveness
of microbiomorphic and NPP analyses in rescue excavations, especially when applied in combination,
thus providing controlling and complementary information for each analysis. The data obtained have
provided an important insight into the archaeological interpretation of the cultural layer within the
farmyard. In addition, more information was gained on the local palaeoenvironmental dynamics and
the phases of economic activity at the farmyard during the 13
th
–17
th
centuries CE.
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IANSA 2023 ● XIV/1 ● 105–117
Olga Druzhinina, Dario Hruševar, Kasper Jurgen van den Berghe, Nancy de Jong-Lambregts, Alexandra Golyeva, Koraljka Bakrač, Božena Mitić: Application of
Phytolith (Microbiomorphic) and Non-Pollen Palynomorph Analyses to the Geoarchaeological Study of the Graft Farmyard, the Netherlands
106
2006). As Madella and Lancelotti (2012) point out, in general,
phytoliths are not transported over long distances because
they are relatively “heavy” particles, and they therefore
characterise a specifc local, rather than regional (as pollen),
environmental situation. The property of phytoliths to remain
in situ
is a valuable source of information which can be
directly related to human activity or the palaeoenvironment.
The development of classical phytolith analysis has led
to an extended version of this method; microbiomorphic
analysis (Golyeva, 2008). It includes a microscopic study
of all the microbiomorphs (organic and silica) retrieved
during the chemical processing in a phytolith sample and
their comprehensive interpretation. Thus, in addition to
the identifcation of phytoliths, microbiomorpic analysis
comprises the quantitative estimation of plant detritus (wood
and grass), the shells of diatoms, the spicules of sponges,
soil fungi,
etc.
Each of the microbiomorphs is an indicator
of certain environmental conditions, thus providing data
to supplement and check the information. As a result,
a wider spectrum of valid multi-faceted information on the
palaeoenvironment can be obtained (Golyeva, 2008; 2016).
Archaeological sediments contain, in addition to pollen
grains, an abundance of “extra” microfossils grouped under
the name of non-pollen palynomorphs (NPPs). They are
highly diverse in nature, comprising the remains of fungi
and algae, the eggs of parasites, the shells of amoebae,
etc.
(Shumilovskikh
et al.,
2016; Shumilovskikh and van Geel,
2020). Each type of NPP occurs under specifc conditions,
such as the presence of decaying wood; the on-site deposition
of manure; wood or manure with parasitic contamination;
after fre and erosional events; and drought or waterlogging
conditions. They occur together with the increased supply
of nutrients or water pollution (Cugny
et al.,
2010;
Chambers
et al.,
2011; Feurdean
et al.,
2013; Shumilovskikh