This course will introduce students to the study of archaeobotanical remains, in terms of both thematic issues and interpretation and practical work in the laboratory, including experience with setting samples for seeds. The course will covers themes relating to agricultural systems, plant domestication, hunter-gatherer plant use, food and cooking, and long-term patterns in landuse and human impact on the environment. Students will also be introduced to a range of archaeobotanical datasets and their potential, including wood charcoal, tuber parenchyma and phytoliths. On successful completion of the module students should be able to demonstrate/have developed use microscope to make detailedeobservations of plant macro-remains and micro-scopic features. They will have acquired some knowledge of approaches to quantification and making arguments from statistical patterns to data. Both of the above will be reflected especially in Assessment 2. In addition, the will develop critical reflection on how arguments are developed and presented based on quantitie datasets and assumptions of underlying processes for characterization social, economic or evolutionary processes. The latter will be especially developed in their essays (assessment 2).