Funk Foundation Fellowships for Archaeological Research

Awarded Fall 2004

Cultigens of the American Northeast: A Phytolith Study, by Katy R.
Serpa, Staff Archaeologist and Paleoethnobotanist, Rochester Museum
and Science Center (for presentation at the Society for American
Archaeology’s 2006 Annual Meeting, in San Juan, Puerto Rico)


Phytolith analysis offers archaeology great promise because these silica
bodies produced by plants do not decay. As phytoliths are not easily
transported, the plants they derived from probably died at the location where
they are recovered. Serpa’s project is to create a phytolith reference
collection for cultigens of the American Northeast. Identification of plant
type presence and interpretation of plant type use is possible through the
recovery of phytoliths, but the typologies that would make this potential a
reality are still being developed. Serpa's typology will include 14 plant
types, ranging from common cultigens such as corn, squash, and beans, to
other possible cultigens such as sunflower, amaranth, tobacco, and wheat
grass. Serpa notes that in addition to their association with plant types,
phytoliths are associated with different plant parts. She will create a
typology offering this level of detail, allowing researchers to study intra-site
variability in plant part utilization.
The New York State Museum Institute — 3025 Cultural Education Center — Albany, NY 12230