The contribution of starch grain and phytolith analyses in reconstructing ancient diets

Starch grains and phytoliths are often found trapped in dental calculus or on the surface of lithic grinding tools. In the last decades, their analysis provided new information about the dietary habits of ancient populations, a topic that has recently become the object of numerous researches by archaeobotanists, archaeozoologists and anthropologists. The study of these micro-remains not only indicates which plants were used for feeding purposes but may also highlight our ancestors’ ability to manipulate food.