Scott in Lonoke County, Arkansas — The American South (West South Central)
Plants Tell a Human Story
Photographed by Thomas Smith, December 28, 2022
1. Plants Tell a Human Story Marker
Through specialized techniques archeologist recover and analyze plant remains from archeological sites like Toltec Mounds.
One technique used is flotation, which separates carbonized plant material from soil samples.
Small seeds, wood charcoal, and plant fragments are caught in fine screens and set aside for analysis.
Tiny seed can tell big stories about people planting, tending, harvesting, and developing new relationships with the landscape around them.
Paleoethnobotany is the study of relationships between people and plants, through the archeological record. These archeologist explore how plants were used for food, tools, architecture, medicine, and more. They examine the ways past peoples managed plant resources, as well as what plants meant to past human societies.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Anthropology & Archaeology • Indigenous Peoples and Communities.
Location. 34° 38.728′ N, 92° 3.598′ W.
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Regionally, this marker is in the Little Rock Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, the Louisiana Purchase, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 10 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The Plum Bayou Garden (here, next to this marker); The Path to Domesticated Plants (here, next to this marker); Not For Human Consumption (within shouting distance of this marker); Home to Some; Capitol City to All (within shouting distance of this marker);
Photographed by Thomas Smith, December 28, 2022
2. Plants Tell a Human Story Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on January 11, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 11, 2023, by Thomas Smith of Waterloo, Ill. This page has been viewed 252 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 11, 2023, by Thomas Smith of Waterloo, Ill. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
