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Microscopy Approaches in Archaeobotany Workshop

The IMAA or Integrated Microscopy Approaches in Archaeobotany Workshop is now traditionally held in Reading, UK. When we say “traditionally”, in this particular case – this is a young tradition, commencing in 2016. Since then, every winter, the University of Reading is hosting this event. This year the topics included: Agricultural revolutions and crop developments; Archaeobotany of unusual materials; New methodological innovations and developments in archaeobotany; Plants, pests and parasites; Reference collections in archaeobotany. Each edition of the IMAA offers an intriguing format, featuring oral and poster presentations and extensive laboratory-based workshops.

Research within the framework of THEFBO, was presented by Mila Andonova, Sebastian Million and Ingrid Slezner. Our poster-presentation was entitled: “Archaeobotany of basketry: identification of Neolithic coiled baskets from the pile dwelling settlements, at the Lake Constance, Germany” and was included in the “Archaeobotany of unusual materials” section. The abstracts of the whole Workshop are available at: https://blogs.reading.ac.uk/integrated-microscopy-approaches-in-archaeobotany/imaa-2020/imaa-2020-abstracts/ (oral presentations on top, and poster presentations to-follow, ours is the first one under the Poster section). In particular the THEFBO – poster presented the general aspects of identification (of monocots and tree bast) and conservation of coiled basketry, analysed in the project. The background of the text and image visualisations, was thematically filled by an enlarged aquarelle of a pile dwelling house, kindly provided by the author - Almut Kalkowski (LAD Hemmenhofen). In addition, initially for the purposes of this poster, but also for general use with visual media, a QR code was created as a link to the THEFBO Project.

Due to the complicated time-table of the authors, only Mila was about to travel to Reading. Unfortunately, by the time of her flight, she suffered severe virus infection and was unable to be present in person. However, the organisers were extremely helpful in printing and mounting our poster. Two months after the Workshop, Mila even received a question by an inspired by our poster Spanish student, asking about tricks and hints on her Iberian basketry samples with monocots!

 

-- Mila Andonova