| This dissertation consists of five chapters, an Introduction, three published articles, and a discussion of the research represented by each publication. Each publication presents the application of the technique of analyzing phytoliths from food residues. I was the sole author of the first publication in this dissertation. Through many conversations with Dr. Susan Mulholland, and many false starts and new beginnings, I developed a modified taxonomy of rondel phytoliths, which proved adequate to the task of providing characteristics distinguishing different taxa of modern maize through their patterns of rondel phytolith production, and by extension, the lineages from which these modern taxa evolved.;The second publication contained in this dissertation consists of a report on phytoliths recovered from Formative period pottery recovered from the Copacabana peninsula, on Lake Titicaca in Bolivia. Sergio and Karen Chavez, from years of work on the Copacabana peninsula, came to the conclusion that maize was much more than an incidental addition to the diet of the region, and that it could well have been introduced very early. This idea was "revolutionary" in that their concept of agriculture in the high Andes went against an entrenched body of literature that suggested that maize agriculture was not sustainable at high altitudes, and was therefore not practiced in prehistory. Sergio Chavez provided the evidence that indigenous maize agriculture is an important part of present-day life, and I was privileged to apply the taxonomic study of phytoliths from maize and food residues to the region. This chapter was co-authored: Sergio Chavez provided a description of maize agriculture on the Copacabana peninsula, and I provided the analysis of phytoliths recovered from modern maize and selected food residues from the region. I have reproduced the chapter in its entirety. Sergio also provided the physical and cultural description of the Copacabana peninsula and the sites from which food residues were recovered.;The next article is entirely my work. It is an application of the same research technique to the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The site of Ramaditas has been the research focus of Mario Rivera and a team of visiting archaeologists for more than a decade. One of the fortunate aspects of preservation at the site is the presence of coprolites, providing another context in which the research technique described in this dissertation could be tested. The similarity of the phytoliths in the Copacabana region and the Atacama is consistent with the archaeological data, which suggests a great deal of trade between the two regions. The potential for identifying the routes and timing of the movement of maize lineages is demonstrated in all three publications.;Together, these articles demonstrate both the promise and preliminary results of the application of a new technique for the recovery of plant remains from archaeological and paleoecological sites. Situated within the research field of phytolith analysis, theGu new taxonomic approach to phytolith analysis has the potential to resolve on-going disputes over the age of origin and pattern of dispersal of maize and other plants, including both domesticated and wild plant species. |
