Paleoethnobotany is the study of the entwined relationships of people and plants in the past. By studying plant remains from archaeological sites, we can better understand how people and plants interacted with each other, with local landscapes, and with neighboring peoples. Topics of research include subsistence strategies, environmental reconstruction, plant domestication, and social uses of foods, or foodways.
For more information about the lab or for volunteer opportunities, please contact Dr. Kandi Hollenbach: kdh@utk.edu.
People
Kandace Hollenbach is an associate professor in the Department of Anthropology and associate curator of Paleoethnobotany at the McClung Museum. Her research interests include the subsistence and mobility strategies of early foragers; the transition to farming lifestyles; and the foodways practices of early through historical groups in eastern North America.
Kelly Santana is a PhD student in the Department of Anthropology and graduate assistant in the Paleoethnobotany Laboratory at the McClung Museum. Her research centers on the deep history of plant use in the Appalachians.