How Hazelnut Shells Reveal Our Ancestors’ World
An archaeologist takes samples of pollen found in soil to understand the changing vegetation of a site: a companion technique to the authors’ analysis of hazelnut shells. Credit: Nils ForshedArchaeologists study the carbon isotope values in hazelnuts from ancient sites to understand the characteristics of the local woods.If we could stand in a landscape that our Mesolithic ancestors called home, what would we see around us? Researchers have developed a technique to examine ancient hazelnut shells, preserved over…