Fields of Change: Progress in African Archaeobotany

The continent of Africa has played an important and independent role in the history of plant exploitation. The International Workshop on African Archaeobotany (IWAA) provides a meeting for archaeobotanists and specialists on African languages to enhance the archaeobotanical research in the African continent. The proceedings of these workshops have provided us with a major insight into the vegetation development and plant exploitation in Africa. Papers presented at earlier workshops have been published by Stuchlik & Wasylikowa (1995), Van der Veen (1999) and Neumann et al. (2003).This book presents papers presented at the 4th International Workshop on African Archaeobotany, held in Groningen from 30th of June until the 2nd of July 2003. Several papers deal with the domestication history and related aspects of specific plants, including wheat (Triticum), rice (Oryza), pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum), fig (Ficus), cotton (Gossypium), silk-cotton (Ceiba pentandra) and baobab (Adansonia digitata). Other contributions discuss the exploitation of woody vegetations, members of the sedge family (Cyperaceae) and the botanical composition of mummy garlands. Three papers present the subfossil plant remains from Egyptian sites: Pharaonic caravanserais along theTheban Desert Road, Predynastic Adaima and Napatan to Islamic Qasr Ibrim. The last contribution presents an update inventory of the ancient plant remains present in the Agricultural Museum (Dokki, Cairo). The book covers a wide range of countries and includes Namibia, Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal, Mauritania, Canary Isles, Libya and Egypt.