MICRO-ENVIRONMENTAL REMAINS IN ARCHAEOLOGY: PHYTOLITHS AND FAECAL SPHERULITES AND THEIR APPLICATION FOR THE STUDY OF HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTIONS IN ARCHAEOLOGICAL SEDIMENTS IN KAZAKHSTAN

Аннотация

This article explores the archaeological information that can be gathered from the study of micro-environmental remains (phytoliths and faecal spherulites) extracted from archaeological sediments, and their application in the analysis of human-environment interactions in the archaeology of Kazakhstan. A brief overview of the history of the study of the two types of micro-environmental remains is given, and assemblage formation and taphonomic processes are considered. Finally, using examples from archaeological sediments in Kazakhstan, the article explores the types of information that can be extracted from phytolith and faecal spherulite analysis, and what this can tell us about human-environment interactions in the past.