POLLEN, PHYTOLITH AND ORGANIC RESIDUE (FTIR) ANALYSIS OF SOIL, FEATURE FILL, AND CERAMICS FROM THE ROZTOKY SITE, CZECH REPUBLIC

Excavations at the site of Roztoky in the vicinity of Prague, Czech Republic, have
yielded multiple houses, some of which exhibit very straight stains that appear to represent
walls constructed of wood planks. Cooking hearths are present in many of these structures,
and ceramics were recovered in the course of excavation. This exploratory study examines the
organic residue signature using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) associated with
the edge of the house and the area that could be described as “wall fill” in an effort to determine
whether wood planks might be present. In addition the wall fill sample was examined for pollen
and phytoliths. Three ceramic sherds also were selected for examination of organic residues
contained within them using the FTIR.