The next IMAA workshop will take place at in the School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science, University of Reading, UK, on 15^th and 16^th February 2020. The workshop has been celebrated annually since 2016 and aims to bring together specialists in geoarchaeology, NPPs, palynology, plant macroremains, and phytoliths who are working in universities, major heritage organisations, and commercial archaeology companies in order to share research and skills. The event is a 2 day workshop, which includes oral presentations, poster sessions and microscope sessions.

We are pleased to announce the call for abstracts for oral and poster presentations on the following themes:

• Agricultural revolutions and crop developments
• Archaeobotany of unusual materials
• New methodological innovations and developments in archaeobotany
• Plants, pests and parasites
• Reference collections in archaeobotany

DEADLINE FOR ABSTRACTS 11th  NOVEMBER 2019

Submit abstracts by email to imaaworkshop@gmail.com with the subject heading ‘2020 abstract’ and please specify your preference for a paper or poster presentation.

Click here for more information.

The 2020 workshop on Integrated Microscopy Approaches in Archaeobotany will take place on 15th – 16th February at the School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science, University of Reading, UK. More details to follow soon!

A collection of articles of research presented in the 2016 and 2017 IMAA workshops will be published as a special issue for Environmental Archaeology. All articles are currently in press and available online.

Editorial: Integrated Microscopy Approaches in Archaeobotany: proceedings of the 2016 and 2017 workshops, University of Reading, UK

Rowena Y. Banerjea, Catherine Barnett, Lionello Morandi, Marta Portillo

Feeding the Crusades: Archaeobotany, Animal Husbandry and Livestock Alimentation on the Baltic Frontier

R. Y. Banerjea, M. Badura, A. Brown, L. F. Morandi, M. Marcinkowski, H. Valk, K. Ismail-Meyer, A. Pluskowski

Fuelling the Fires: The Contribution of Wood Charcoal Analysis to a Landscape Scale Project at and Around Pre-Conquest Iron Age Silchester and a Reflection on Its Wider Implications

Catherine Barnett

Early Middle Ages Houses of Gien (France) from the Inside: Geoarchaeology and Archaeobotany of 9th–11th c. Floors

Q. Borderie, T. Ball, R. Banerjea, M. Bizri, C. Lejault, S. Save, A. Vaughan-Williams

Variable Ovicaprid Diet and Faecal Spherulite Production at Amara West, Sudan

Matthew Dalton and Phillipa Ryan

Early Animal Management Strategies during the Neolithic of the Konya Plain, Central Anatolia: Integrating Micromorphological and Microfossil Evidence

Aroa García-Suárez ,Marta Portillo & Wendy Matthews

An Ethnoarchaeological Case Study of Dung Fungal Spore and Faecal Spherulite Taphonomy in a Pastoral Cave Deposit

Lionello F. Morandi

Advances in Morphometrics in Archaeobotany

M. Portillo, T. B. Ball, M. Wallace, C. Murphy, S. Pérez-Díaz, M. Ruiz-Alonso, F. J. Aceituno & J. A.  López-Sáez

Visibility, Preservation and Colour: A Descriptive System for the Study of Opal Phytoliths in (Archaeological) Soil and Sediment Thin Sections

Luc Vrydaghs & Yannick Devos

Thank you to everyone who took part in and helped to organise the 2019 IMAA workshop. The blog has now been updated with some photos from the weekend and with the abstracts of the excellent oral and poster presentations.

As promised, here are a couple of links that were mentioned during the weekend:

The digital model of the recreation of Glastonbury Lake Village by South West Heritage Trust.

Details of the 3D Pollen Project led by UoR PhD researcher, Oliver Wilson.

Thank you again to the School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science for supporting the event and to our additional sponsors:

We’d like to thank Dino-Lite for their sponsorship! Please check out their digital microscopy products on their website https://www.dinolite-uk.com/ and follow their facebook page @DinoLiteEurope

All spaces have now been filled for the 2019 IMAA workshop. Please email imaaworkshop@gmail.com if you would like to be put on the waiting list. Equally, if you are unable to attend the workshop, please let us know so that we can give the space to someone on the waiting list. Many thanks! We’re looking forward to meeting all the participants in Reading.

Registration is now open for the 2019 IMAA workshop and spaces are allocated on a first come, first served basis. Please register using this link: https://store.rdg.ac/IntegratedMicroscopyApproachesinArchaeobotany2019

Please be aware that you need to go all the way through the registration process and ensure that you click ‘confirm’. You will receive an automated confirmation email from the booking system.

The provisional timetable is now available: https://blogs.reading.ac.uk/integrated-microscopy-approaches-in-archaeobotany/imaa-2019/imaa-2019-provisional-timetable/

Happy New Year from the IMAA organisers!

Dr Rowena Banerjea

Dr Catherine Barnett

Dr Dan Young

Josie Handley

Paul Flintoft

Thank you for all your abstract submissions. We had an overwhelming response to the call and will have a great range of presentations and posters. Registration details and the preliminary programme will follow soon.

The call for abstracts for the next  IMAA workshop at the University of Reading on 16th -17th February 2019 is now open. We welcome oral and poster presentations on the following themes:

• Ethnographic approaches in archaeobotany
• Environmental archives in archaeobotany
• Experiencing woodlands past and present
• Plant use in the Middle Ages
• Taphonomy of macro and microbotanical assemblages
• Wetlands as palaeobotanical archives

Please send your 250 word abstract to imaaworkshop@gmail.com  by 11th November 2018 with the subject heading ‘Oral presentation 2019‘ or ‘Poster presentation 2019‘ .

There are limited places at the workshop and priority will be given to people presenting research and bringing slides or samples. There is no participation fee.

Further details about the afternoon microscopy and practical sessions will be announced on our blog soon, and registration will follow shortly.

We look forward to welcoming you to Reading!

Organising committee:

Dr Rowena Banerjea

Dr Catherine Barnett

Dr Dan Young

Josie Handley

Paul Flintoft