Phoenician shipwreck amphorae : A palynological study

Abstract

The study of palynology can be applied to various fields of research. It can be used to construct past climatic conditions, vegetation diversity, sea level change, and even for medicinal studies. This research focuses on palaeobotanical analysis on palynomorphs to see whether any information can be extracted from an ancient amphora. The amphora was retrieved from a newly discovered Phoenician shipwreck off the coast of Xlendi, Gozo. A sample was extracted from the amphora and was processed using Moore et al. (1991). The homogenised sample was analysed under a light microscope to ascertain whether it is possible to obtain palynological information from sediment deposited on the sea bed. A total of 500 terrestrial pollen grains (39 different taxa) were counted together with non-pollen material such as spores, microforaminifera, and dinoflagellates. However, although the target was reached, the pollen concentration (calculated against Lycopodium spores) was low. The findings were divided into arboreal and non-arboreal pollen grains, which were then split up according to their habitats. When compared with terrestrial studies, retrieving palynological information from sediment traps may help to shed light on recent vegetation changes since in terrestrial studies, the top of a core is often discarded. This is because this section is exposed to mixing by both natural and anthropogenic processes which may cause biased results. In conclusion, the methodology used to process the sediment seems to have an important role in pollen analysis because some methods may cause pollen degradation. Therefore, suggested future studies include comparing different methodologies to understand which provides the best outcome.