Welcome to the archaeobotany laboratory website.

Our laboratory’s research includes identifying plant and fruit seeds discovered in archeological excavations from prehistoric and historical periods, and in interdisciplinary research that reveals information contained in these seeds. We combine botanical and archaeological research, and use a wide range of parallel research areas in order to gain a comprehensive reconstruction of past life. The laboratory participates in many research collaborations with archaeologists from various institutions and with experts from different fields of research, in Israel and abroad.

The laboratory now hosts the Israel National Collection of Seeds and Fruits, which serves as our comparison collection, as well as the State Treasures Repository for archaeobotanical finds that have been discovered since the establishment of the State. It also serves as the National Archaeobotany Laboratory in collaboration with the Israel Antiquities Authority. As the only laboratory in its field in the country, we are happy to participate in excavations and determine the proper and effective strategies for sampling the botanical finds at the site together with the archaeologists in the field. The laboratory team invites researchers from Israel and abroad to visit and use the Comparison Collection.

The laboratory continues the legacy of Prof. Mordechai Kislev of the Faculty of Life Sciences, who established the first archaeobotany laboratory in Israel as well as the Israel National Collection of Seeds and Fruits.