Robert C Power
Biographic Data
| ID | 632274 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Robert C Power |
| GIVEN NAMES | Robert C |
| FAMILY NAME | Power |
| SIGNATURE | POWER R C |
| AFFILIATIONS | Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-7425-5709 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 24 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 288 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 24 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2013 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 9 |
An approach to the ancient Teotihuacan and regional diet, through the analysis of plant microremains
Experts against automation? Comparing artificial intelligence and human identifications of multi-cell cereal husk phytoliths
This study compares the efficacy of a deep learning-based computer vision model against manual expert identification of multi-cell husk phytoliths from wheat ( Triticum boeticum/dicoccoides ), barley ( Hordeum spontaneum ), and oats ( Avena sativa ). Conducted via an online survey in 2024 with twelve respondents (92% completion rate, one respondent did not finish), the survey presented 18 phytolith images selected based on: 1) deep learning perfo…
Dietary practices in Iron Age Northern and Central Botswana
The tempo of crop adoption in the Kalahari Basin Area remains imperfectly understood, with most inferences drawn from sparse macrobotanical finds and stable isotope baselines rather than direct evidence of plant use at the individual level. A long-standing question — the ‘Kalahari Debate’ — concerns whether forager communities in southern Africa were isolated from, or progressively integrated with, neighbouring food-producing societies. The more …
Ashes from Pompeii
Incense burners are frequently excavated at Roman period sites, attesting to acts of combustion within domestic ritual practices, but what was burnt is still uncertain. Here, the authors use microscopy and spectrometry to analyse burnt residues contained within two censers from domestic contexts in Pompeii and a nearby villa . Their results indicate that woody plants were burnt in both censers, either as fuel or offerings, alongside stone fruit o…
A microcontextual investigation of Later Stone Age ash deposits and associated interment of human remains at Faraoskop Rock Shelter, South Africa
The Later Stone Age site Faraoskop Rock Shelter yielded the human remains of twelve individuals in an ash-rich sedimentary sequence that also preserved anthropogenic bedding features. This geoarchaeological study is concerned with the sedimentary context of the human remains, the reconstruction of the human activities that formed the ash deposits as well as the bedding features and the paleoenvironmental conditions during site occupation. To inve…
L'alimentation des premiers agropasteurs du Néolithique
Le Néolithique, épisode majeur de l’histoire humaine est marqué par la domestication des espèces végétales et animales, les débuts de l’agriculture et une croissance démographique significative. Le projet ANR WomenSOFar (ANR-21-CE03-0008) vise à identifier le statut des femmes à travers la façon dont elles se déplacent, se nourrissent, travaillent et prennent soin des jeunes. Dans le cadre de ce projet de recherche, une approche novatrice et expl…
Direct dating confirms the presence of otter and badger in early Holocene Ireland
The origin of Ireland’s fauna is an unresolved issue in the history of the island. Although researchers once considered Ireland’s mammals to have spread to Ireland during the early postglacial from 11,700 cal BP, research has increasingly suggested humans translocated many of these species to Ireland. However, due to sparse evidence, the origin of Ireland’s purported native mustelid species remains unanswered. In this study, we shed light on the …
Robert Hosfield. 2020. The earliest Europeans, a year in the life
An abstract is not available for this content so a preview has been provided. Please use the Get access link above for information on how to access this content
The representativeness of the dental calculus dietary record
In recent years, new applications of microremain dietary analysis using dental calculus as a source of dietary data on ancient human subsistence and behaviours have accelerated. The dental calculus of contemporary human and non-human populations with known diets have been used as reference datasets, including the chimpanzees of Taï National Park (Côte d'Ivoire), but explaining the preservation mechanism involved is challenged by our incomplete kn…
Hunter-gatherers on the basin’s edge
Limited excavations at Nangara-Komba Shelter along the northern margin of the Congo Basin have recovered evidence for intermittent and at times intensive human visits beginning approximately 5100 cal. BC. Numerous rock art panels adorn the shelter’s walls and ceramics appear to have initially been brought to the site between 1050 and 900 cal. BC, if not earlier. Charred Canarium schweinfurthii endocarp fragments were collected in all stratigraphi…
Dietary evidence from Central Asian Neanderthals
Neanderthals are known primarily from their habitation of Western Eurasia, but they also populated large expanses of Northern Asia for thousands of years. Owing to a sparse archaeological record, relatively little is known about these eastern Neanderthal populations. Unlike in their western range, there are limited zooarchaeological and paleobotanical studies that inform us about the nature of their subsistence. Here, we perform a combined analys…
Microbotanical evidence for the spread of cereal use during the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in the Southeastern Europe (Danube Gorges)
New insights on Neolithic food and mobility patterns in Mediterranean coastal populations
OBJECTIVES: The aims of this research are to explore the diet, mobility, social organization, and environmental exploitation patterns of early Mediterranean farmers, particularly the role of marine and plant resources in these foodways. In addition, this work strives to document possible gendered patterns of behavior linked to the neolithization of this ecologically rich area. To achieve this, a set of multiproxy analyses (isotopic analyses, dent…
The first archaeobotanical evidence of Medicago sativa L. in China
Asian Crop Dispersal in Africa and Late Holocene Human Adaptation to Tropical Environments
Occupation of the humid tropics by Late Holocene food producers depended on the use of vegetative agricultural systems. A small number of vegetative crops from the Americas and Asia have come to dominate tropical agriculture globally in these warm and humid environments, due to their ability to provide reliable food output with low labour inputs, as well as their suitability to these environments. The prehistoric arrival in Africa of Southeast As…
A Multidisciplinary Approach to Neolithic Life Reconstruction
The expansion of Neolithic stable isotope studies in France now allows distinct regional population-scale food patterns to be linked to both local environment influences and specific economic choices. Carbon and nitrogen isotope values of more than 500 humans and of animal samples also permit hypotheses on sex-biased human provenance. To advance population scale research, we here present the first study that draws together carbon (C), nitrogen (N…
Detecting hidden diets and disease
Evidence of Increasing Intensity of Food Processing During the Upper Paleolithic of Western Eurasia
Dental calculus indicates widespread plant use within the stable Neanderthal dietary niche
Microremains from El Mirón Cave human dental calculus suggest a mixed plant–animal subsistence economy during the Magdalenian in Northern Iberia
The economic and ritual utilization of plants at the Raqefet Cave Natufian site
Assessing use and suitability of scanning electron microscopy in the analysis of micro remains in dental calculus
Earliest floral grave lining from 13,700–11,700-y-old Natufian burials at Raqefet Cave, Mt. Carmel, Israel
Flowering plants possess mechanisms that stimulate positive emotional and social responses in humans. It is difficult to establish when people started to use flowers in public and ceremonial events because of the scarcity of relevant evidence in the archaeological record. We report on uniquely preserved 13,700–11,700-y-old grave linings made of flowers, suggesting that such use began much earlier than previously thought. The only potentially olde…
Neanderthal diets in central and southeastern Mediterranean Iberia
Neanderthal diets in central and southeastern Mediterranean Iberia
Dental calculus indicates widespread plant use within the stable Neanderthal dietary niche
Microremains from El Mirón Cave human dental calculus suggest a mixed plant–animal subsistence economy during the Magdalenian in Northern Iberia
Assessing use and suitability of scanning electron microscopy in the analysis of micro remains in dental calculus
Dietary evidence from Central Asian Neanderthals
Neanderthals are known primarily from their habitation of Western Eurasia, but they also populated large expanses of Northern Asia for thousands of years. Owing to a sparse archaeological record, relatively little is known about these eastern Neanderthal populations. Unlike in their western range, there are limited zooarchaeological and paleobotanical studies that inform us about the nature of their subsistence. Here, we perform a combined analys…
A Multidisciplinary Approach to Neolithic Life Reconstruction
The expansion of Neolithic stable isotope studies in France now allows distinct regional population-scale food patterns to be linked to both local environment influences and specific economic choices. Carbon and nitrogen isotope values of more than 500 humans and of animal samples also permit hypotheses on sex-biased human provenance. To advance population scale research, we here present the first study that draws together carbon (C), nitrogen (N…
Evidence of Increasing Intensity of Food Processing During the Upper Paleolithic of Western Eurasia
Hunter-gatherers on the basin’s edge
Limited excavations at Nangara-Komba Shelter along the northern margin of the Congo Basin have recovered evidence for intermittent and at times intensive human visits beginning approximately 5100 cal. BC. Numerous rock art panels adorn the shelter’s walls and ceramics appear to have initially been brought to the site between 1050 and 900 cal. BC, if not earlier. Charred Canarium schweinfurthii endocarp fragments were collected in all stratigraphi…
Microbotanical evidence for the spread of cereal use during the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in the Southeastern Europe (Danube Gorges)
The representativeness of the dental calculus dietary record
In recent years, new applications of microremain dietary analysis using dental calculus as a source of dietary data on ancient human subsistence and behaviours have accelerated. The dental calculus of contemporary human and non-human populations with known diets have been used as reference datasets, including the chimpanzees of Taï National Park (Côte d'Ivoire), but explaining the preservation mechanism involved is challenged by our incomplete kn…
Detecting hidden diets and disease
New insights on Neolithic food and mobility patterns in Mediterranean coastal populations
OBJECTIVES: The aims of this research are to explore the diet, mobility, social organization, and environmental exploitation patterns of early Mediterranean farmers, particularly the role of marine and plant resources in these foodways. In addition, this work strives to document possible gendered patterns of behavior linked to the neolithization of this ecologically rich area. To achieve this, a set of multiproxy analyses (isotopic analyses, dent…
The first archaeobotanical evidence of Medicago sativa L. in China
Asian Crop Dispersal in Africa and Late Holocene Human Adaptation to Tropical Environments
Occupation of the humid tropics by Late Holocene food producers depended on the use of vegetative agricultural systems. A small number of vegetative crops from the Americas and Asia have come to dominate tropical agriculture globally in these warm and humid environments, due to their ability to provide reliable food output with low labour inputs, as well as their suitability to these environments. The prehistoric arrival in Africa of Southeast As…
Earliest floral grave lining from 13,700–11,700-y-old Natufian burials at Raqefet Cave, Mt. Carmel, Israel
Flowering plants possess mechanisms that stimulate positive emotional and social responses in humans. It is difficult to establish when people started to use flowers in public and ceremonial events because of the scarcity of relevant evidence in the archaeological record. We report on uniquely preserved 13,700–11,700-y-old grave linings made of flowers, suggesting that such use began much earlier than previously thought. The only potentially olde…
Neanderthal diets in central and southeastern Mediterranean Iberia
The economic and ritual utilization of plants at the Raqefet Cave Natufian site
Assessing use and suitability of scanning electron microscopy in the analysis of micro remains in dental calculus
Microremains from El Mirón Cave human dental calculus suggest a mixed plant–animal subsistence economy during the Magdalenian in Northern Iberia
A Multidisciplinary Approach to Neolithic Life Reconstruction
The expansion of Neolithic stable isotope studies in France now allows distinct regional population-scale food patterns to be linked to both local environment influences and specific economic choices. Carbon and nitrogen isotope values of more than 500 humans and of animal samples also permit hypotheses on sex-biased human provenance. To advance population scale research, we here present the first study that draws together carbon (C), nitrogen (N…
Detecting hidden diets and disease
Evidence of Increasing Intensity of Food Processing During the Upper Paleolithic of Western Eurasia
Dental calculus indicates widespread plant use within the stable Neanderthal dietary niche
Asian Crop Dispersal in Africa and Late Holocene Human Adaptation to Tropical Environments
Occupation of the humid tropics by Late Holocene food producers depended on the use of vegetative agricultural systems. A small number of vegetative crops from the Americas and Asia have come to dominate tropical agriculture globally in these warm and humid environments, due to their ability to provide reliable food output with low labour inputs, as well as their suitability to these environments. The prehistoric arrival in Africa of Southeast As…
Microbotanical evidence for the spread of cereal use during the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in the Southeastern Europe (Danube Gorges)
New insights on Neolithic food and mobility patterns in Mediterranean coastal populations
OBJECTIVES: The aims of this research are to explore the diet, mobility, social organization, and environmental exploitation patterns of early Mediterranean farmers, particularly the role of marine and plant resources in these foodways. In addition, this work strives to document possible gendered patterns of behavior linked to the neolithization of this ecologically rich area. To achieve this, a set of multiproxy analyses (isotopic analyses, dent…
The first archaeobotanical evidence of Medicago sativa L. in China
Robert Hosfield. 2020. The earliest Europeans, a year in the life
An abstract is not available for this content so a preview has been provided. Please use the Get access link above for information on how to access this content
The representativeness of the dental calculus dietary record
In recent years, new applications of microremain dietary analysis using dental calculus as a source of dietary data on ancient human subsistence and behaviours have accelerated. The dental calculus of contemporary human and non-human populations with known diets have been used as reference datasets, including the chimpanzees of Taï National Park (Côte d'Ivoire), but explaining the preservation mechanism involved is challenged by our incomplete kn…
Hunter-gatherers on the basin’s edge
Limited excavations at Nangara-Komba Shelter along the northern margin of the Congo Basin have recovered evidence for intermittent and at times intensive human visits beginning approximately 5100 cal. BC. Numerous rock art panels adorn the shelter’s walls and ceramics appear to have initially been brought to the site between 1050 and 900 cal. BC, if not earlier. Charred Canarium schweinfurthii endocarp fragments were collected in all stratigraphi…
Dietary evidence from Central Asian Neanderthals
Neanderthals are known primarily from their habitation of Western Eurasia, but they also populated large expanses of Northern Asia for thousands of years. Owing to a sparse archaeological record, relatively little is known about these eastern Neanderthal populations. Unlike in their western range, there are limited zooarchaeological and paleobotanical studies that inform us about the nature of their subsistence. Here, we perform a combined analys…
Direct dating confirms the presence of otter and badger in early Holocene Ireland
The origin of Ireland’s fauna is an unresolved issue in the history of the island. Although researchers once considered Ireland’s mammals to have spread to Ireland during the early postglacial from 11,700 cal BP, research has increasingly suggested humans translocated many of these species to Ireland. However, due to sparse evidence, the origin of Ireland’s purported native mustelid species remains unanswered. In this study, we shed light on the …
L'alimentation des premiers agropasteurs du Néolithique
Le Néolithique, épisode majeur de l’histoire humaine est marqué par la domestication des espèces végétales et animales, les débuts de l’agriculture et une croissance démographique significative. Le projet ANR WomenSOFar (ANR-21-CE03-0008) vise à identifier le statut des femmes à travers la façon dont elles se déplacent, se nourrissent, travaillent et prennent soin des jeunes. Dans le cadre de ce projet de recherche, une approche novatrice et expl…
A microcontextual investigation of Later Stone Age ash deposits and associated interment of human remains at Faraoskop Rock Shelter, South Africa
The Later Stone Age site Faraoskop Rock Shelter yielded the human remains of twelve individuals in an ash-rich sedimentary sequence that also preserved anthropogenic bedding features. This geoarchaeological study is concerned with the sedimentary context of the human remains, the reconstruction of the human activities that formed the ash deposits as well as the bedding features and the paleoenvironmental conditions during site occupation. To inve…
An approach to the ancient Teotihuacan and regional diet, through the analysis of plant microremains
Experts against automation? Comparing artificial intelligence and human identifications of multi-cell cereal husk phytoliths
This study compares the efficacy of a deep learning-based computer vision model against manual expert identification of multi-cell husk phytoliths from wheat ( Triticum boeticum/dicoccoides ), barley ( Hordeum spontaneum ), and oats ( Avena sativa ). Conducted via an online survey in 2024 with twelve respondents (92% completion rate, one respondent did not finish), the survey presented 18 phytolith images selected based on: 1) deep learning perfo…
Dietary practices in Iron Age Northern and Central Botswana
The tempo of crop adoption in the Kalahari Basin Area remains imperfectly understood, with most inferences drawn from sparse macrobotanical finds and stable isotope baselines rather than direct evidence of plant use at the individual level. A long-standing question — the ‘Kalahari Debate’ — concerns whether forager communities in southern Africa were isolated from, or progressively integrated with, neighbouring food-producing societies. The more …
Ashes from Pompeii
Incense burners are frequently excavated at Roman period sites, attesting to acts of combustion within domestic ritual practices, but what was burnt is still uncertain. Here, the authors use microscopy and spectrometry to analyse burnt residues contained within two censers from domestic contexts in Pompeii and a nearby villa . Their results indicate that woody plants were burnt in both censers, either as fuel or offerings, alongside stone fruit o…
Geography (19 works) · Archaeology (18 works) · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies (18 works) · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology (16 works) · Biology (13 works) · Ecology (12 works) · Agriculture (7 works) · Cave (5 works) · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies (5 works) · Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies (5 works)