Archaeobotany is an interdisciplinary field of research that deals with the identification of plant remains and the analysis of the information that can be gained from them. The research includes identification of food plants, weeds and wild plants; evolution of plant species and plant societies; understanding the beginnings of agriculture; reconstruction of the economy, climate, environment, lifestyle and cultural diversity of our ancestors; etc. A new and evolving field in which we have collaborations is research on ancient DNA extracted from archeological seeds (aDNA).

Our laboratory specializes in seeds and fruits, which usually survive by charring, but also under extreme dry conditions or submerged in water.

The finds come from dozens of archeological sites in Israel, from Nahariya in the north to Timna in the south, and from numerous prehistoric and historical periods, through productive cooperation with archaeologists from different universities and with the Antiquities Authority. The laboratory team actively participates in the excavations and extraction of the botanical material using methods that enable preservation of the fragile botanical finds and gaining extensive information about it.

The main phase of the laboratory work begins after the excavation phase: sifting, sorting, and identifying the seeds. This work is carried out with the help of a binocular (stereoscopic microscope) and the laboratory’s seeds collection. Analysis of the variety of species obtained from the sampled contexts allows us to reconstruct the plants that were used by the inhabitants of the site, wild and cultivated plants, local or foreign. We also use information from parallel fields, such as: history, geology, chemistry, climate research, geography, zoology, ancient DNA.

The Israel National Collection of Seeds and Fruits, found in the laboratory, is the largest and most complete collection of local flora, and is the main tool in the laboratory’s work of identifying the plants.

The laboratory also has a professional library, which includes books and articles on archaeobotany, general botany, ethnography and more. The library contains Prof. Kislev’s laboratory library and books from the library of the late Prof. Daniel (Dani) Zohary.