Facilities
Microscopes
In the Laboratory a wide range of microscopes for archaeobotanical analysis is present. There are:
- stereo microscopes at low-power magnifications for the observation of macro-remains
- reflected, epilluminated light microscopes at high-power magnification for the observation of charcoal remains
- transmitted, polarised light microscope for the study of phytoliths and wood thin sections
Reference collections
The reference collection of the Laboratory comprises more than 4000 samples between seeds, fruits and wood.
Search the European Seed Collection (Excel document)
Search the World Grass Seed Collection
The reference samples come from all over the world, with many collected by lab members during fieldwork. There are numerous accessions from the collections of Prof. Martin Jones and D.T. Holyoak. Further material has been accessioned from botanical gardens.The Laboratory has also a small reference collection of phytoliths, extracted from modern specimens and mounted on slides.
Phytolith extractions
The Laboratory has all the facilities to carry out phytolith extraction. Phytoliths are silica bodies produced by plants and have proved to be very useful in archaeological research.
In the Laboratory, phytoliths are extracted both from archaeological soils and from modern plant specimens.
Reference texts
A small but comprehensive range of text books about archaeobotany and environmental archaeology is held in the Laboratory. All the texts and the Theses of the Laboratory's members may be consulted in the Laboratory prior obtaining permission from Louise Butterworth(lb455@cam.ac.uk).
Isotopes
Facilities for the extraction and study of the stable isotopes of Carbon, Nitrogen and Oxygen are available in the adjacent:http://www.arch.cam.ac.uk/garrod-laboratory/
Teaching
The Laboratory provides teaching and practicals for Undergraduate and Master Students on different subjects:
- Archaeobotany
- Crop processing
- Wood and charcoal identification
- Phytoliths and starch in archaeology
