Achaeometrical Research in Hungary II., 1988

ENVIRONMENT - Zsófia MEDZIHRADSZKY: The role and the potentiability of palynology in archaeometry

more alkaline. In these cases, even if pollen does occur, it is always present in very low concentrations. Further difficulties are posed by the often disturbed stratigraphy and the provisional nature of section walls which are continually being destroyed as excavations proceed. 1.1. Settlement 1.1.1 Pits. In most cases, the soil in pits is very is heavily disturbed, thus there is only little hope to obtain usable pollen samples from this type of provenance. 1.1.2. Houses Sometimes pollen rich materials survive in such features tat were deposited from flowers or foodstuffs. 1.1.3. Floor level The clay plaster of the floor levels may preserve the pollen spectrum of the time of making. 1.1.4. Wells The non-oxidising environment (water-logged layers) provides favourable conditions for pollen preservation. Due to pollen deposition, changes in the local vegetation can be recorded from the time of abandonment. 1.2. Cemeteries 1.2.1. Graves It is possible to identify the season when the burial took place, analysing soil samples obtained from spots where flowers were eventually placed. It is sometimes possible to find honey in pots that were included as grave goods. Honey is known to be one of the best pollen preserving substance. 2. A pollen rich natural deposits off-site A longer sequence of vegetation history can be studied in the surroundings of an archaeological site. 2.1. Lakes 2.2. Oxbow lakes 2.3. Bogs, fens 200