Papers by Alexandra Livarda
Short presentation of the aims and work of the environmental team at the 5-year new excavation pr... more Short presentation of the aims and work of the environmental team at the 5-year new excavation project at Palaikastro, East Crete (PALAP - Palace and Landscape at Palaikastro; 2012-2017).
Landscape archaeology has become a well-established discipline during the last decade with the ad... more Landscape archaeology has become a well-established discipline during the last decade with the adoption of multidisciplinary approaches. Although landscape archaeology has played an important role in the analysis of ancient food production, the incorporation of data gathered by bioarchaeological analyses (archaeobotany and zooarchaeology) is still rare in landscape discourses, which tend to rely more on palaeoenvironmental and geoarchaeological data. This is mostly due to bioarchaeological studies being conducted at site level while landscape research usually restricts the use of site data to their location, distribution, chronology and function without fully exploring other lines of site-related evidence. Nevertheless, the integration of bioarchaeological and landscape data has enormous potential to open new avenues for the study of ancient food production, storage, distribution and consumption; human impact on the environment; the consequences of environmental change in terms of adaptation, change and resilience; the cultural value of traditional food derived from specific landscape settings; the reproduction of landscape settings beyond their original environment for the production of culturally valued food (transported landscapes) and the symbolic representation of particular landscapes embodied in food. This session aims to start bridging the gap between landscape and bioarchaeological data by showcasing: (1) studies where both types of data have been meaningfully combined; (2) integrative workflows or methodological approaches involving the use of these datasets; and (3) theoretical perspectives on their integration. Papers addressing any of the abovementioned or related topics are welcomed. Submit your abstract here (please, note that EAA membership is required to attend the meeting)
Scope This database compiles, from published sources, the sample records of archaeobotanical (pla... more Scope This database compiles, from published sources, the sample records of archaeobotanical (plant) remains from archaeological sites located in southwest Asia, central Anatolia and Cyprus dated to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic or earlier. Research The database contributes directly to the following publication, and users are referred to that article for further information on the development and intended use of the database: Wallace, M., Jones, G., Charles, M., Forster, E., Stillman, E., Bonhomme, V., Livarda, A., Osborne, C., Rees, M., Frenck, G., Preece, C. (submitted). Re-analysis of archaeobotanical remains from pre- and early agricultural sites provides no evidence for a narrowing of the wild plant food spectrum during the origins of agriculture in southwest Asia. Vegetation History and Archaeobotany. Funding This database was developed during two projects based at the University of Sheffield, funded by a European Research Council (ERC) grant 'The Evolutionary Origins of Agriculture' (grant no. 269830-EOA, PI Glynis Jones, University of Sheffield) and a Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) grant 'Origins of Agriculture: an Ecological Perspective on Crop Domestication' (grant no. NE/H022716/1, PI Colin Osborne, University of Sheffield). The database builds on an earlier database compiled by Sue Colledge during 'The Origin and Spread of Neolithic Plant Economies in the Near East and Europe' project (AHRB, PIs Stephen Shennan and James Conolly, University College London) and the 'Domestication of Europe' project (NERC, PI Terry Brown, University of Manchester). Citation When using data included in this database the original publication(s) of the data should be cited. Original publications can be identified in the tables '4_Records (samples)' and '5_References'. The authors would be grateful if this database is cited in addition to the original publication(s). Disclaimer This database is a compilation of data as presented by other researchers. Inclusion in this database does not constitute an endorsement of the data or the researchers. The authors of the database do not take responsibility for any adverse outcome due to transcription or other errors introduced in the creation of this database. When using the database the original source of data should be checked to ensure the accuracy and integrity of the data included in the databas
The Bioarchaeology of Ritual and Religion, 2017
Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, 2008
Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, 2010
Environmental Archaeology, 2008
This paper presents the first detailed review of all archaeobotanical records from Roman Britain.... more This paper presents the first detailed review of all archaeobotanical records from Roman Britain. It reveals that some 50 new plants food (mostly fruits, herbs and vegetables) were introduced into this country during the Roman period. These introductions represent a major ...
Britannia, 2007
The archaeobotanical record of Britain in the Roman period is reviewed. The data are plotted agai... more The archaeobotanical record of Britain in the Roman period is reviewed. The data are plotted against area of the country, phase of occupation, type of site, and mode of preservation. Lacunae in the dataset are identified and research priorities formulated. More data are needed, especially from South-Western and North-Western England, Wales and Scotland, from major towns (especially from waterlogged deposits), from rural sites with waterlogged preservation (all parts of the country), and from burials and temple/shrine sites. Matters of concern are the identification of a downward trend in the average number of samples analysed from the 1990s onwards, and poor access to unpublished archaeobotanical reports (grey literature). Possible solutions to redress these are offered.
The Annual of the British School at Athens, 2008
This article is the first of a series presenting the results of two seasons of excavation (2001 a... more This article is the first of a series presenting the results of two seasons of excavation (2001 and 2002) at the Little Palace North site, Knossos. The excavation was aimed at the exploration of the exposed earth section directly north of the Little Palace, prior to the construction of a drystone wall which was to protect this section from further erosion. While limited in extent, the excavation provided an opportunity to increase our understanding of the layout of the LM and later town and, more generally, of the complex history of occupation of this area, which spans the period from at least the sixteenth century BC to the fourth century AD.In regard to the early Greek periods, few architectural remains were encountered at the Little Palace North site. Instead, early Greek strata, covering all periods from Subminoan to Orientalizing, yielded evidence for various activities that took place outdoors. These activities included, in one area, the (enigmatic) use of large, clay-lined &#...
Taste is a complicated matter. Give a plate of Brussels sprouts to a heterogeneous group of peopl... more Taste is a complicated matter. Give a plate of Brussels sprouts to a heterogeneous group of people and you will receive a range of responses, from disgusting to delicious. What determines food preferences is subject to much scholarly research, which stresses the social context as an important element in the development of tastes. Conditioned by the social environment, tastes are far from static. When one is faced, for instance, with new products, the choice to partly or fully integrate them into one’s diet, or conversely to ignore or reject them, can reflect cultural or social affinities, certain preconceptions, and in the longer term, the development of human relations as well as economic and political choices.
The Encyclopedia of Archaeological Sciences, 2018
The Routledge Handbook of Diet and Nutrition in the Roman World, 2018
Uploads
Papers by Alexandra Livarda