Palynology
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| - | :''[[state of nature]], [[caveman]], [[prehistoric religion]], [[prehistoric culture]]'' | ||
| - | '''Prehistory''' ([[Latin]], ''præ'' = before [[Greek language|Greek]], ιστορία = [[history]]) is a term often used to describe the period before [[Recorded history|written history]]. [[Paul Tournal]] originally coined the term ''Pré-historique'' in describing the finds he had made in the caves of [[southern France]]. It came into use in [[French language|French]] in the [[1830s]] to describe the time before writing, and was introduced into [[English language|English]] by [[Daniel Wilson]] in [[1851]]. | ||
| - | Prehistory can be said to date back to the beginning of the [[universe]] itself, although the term is most often used to describe periods when there was [[life]] on [[Earth]]; [[dinosaur]]s can be described as prehistoric animals and [[caveman|cavemen]] are described as prehistoric people. Usually the context implies what [[geologic time|geologic]] or [[Three_age_system|prehistoric]] time period is discussed, f.e. "prehistoric [[miocene]] apes", about 23 - 5,5 My ago, or "[[Middle Palaeolithic]] sapiens", 200000 - 30000 years ago. | + | '''Palynology''' is defined as "the study of microscopic objects of macromolecular organic composition (i.e. compounds of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen), not capable of dissolution in hydrochloric or hydrofluoric acids." It is the science that studies contemporary and fossil [[palynomorph]]s, including [[pollen]], [[spores]], [[orbicule]]s, [[dinocysts]], [[acritarchs]], [[chitinozoa]]ns and [[Scolecodonts|scolecodont]]s, together with particulate organic matter (POM) and [[kerogen]] found in [[sedimentary]] rocks and [[sediment]]s. Palynology does not include [[diatoms]], [[foraminiferans]] or other organisms with [[siliceous]] or [[calcareous]] [[exoskeletons]]. |
| - | Because, by definition, there are no written records from prehistoric times, (or at least there are none known to still exist down to this day) the information we know about the time period is informed by the fields of [[paleontology]], [[biology]], [[palynology]], [[geology]], [[archaeoastronomy]], [[anthropology]], [[archaeology]] and other natural and social sciences. In societies where the introduction of writing is relatively recent, [[Oral history preservation|oral histories]], knowledge of the past handed down from generation to generation, contain records of "prehistoric" times. | + | Palynology is an interdisciplinary science and is a branch of [[earth science]] ([[geology]] or geological science) and [[biological science]] ([[biology]]), particularly [[plant science]] ([[botany]]). [[stratigraphy|Stratigraphical]] palynology is a branch of [[micropaleontology|micropalaeontology]] and [[paleobotany]] which studies [[fossil]] palynomorphs from the [[Precambrian]] to the [[Holocene]]. |
| - | The term became less strictly defined in the [[20th century]] as the boundary between history (interpretation of written and oral records) and other disciplines became less rigid. Indeed today most [[historians]] rely on evidence from many areas and do not necessarily restrict themselves to the historical period and written, oral or other symbolically encoded sources of communication; in addition, the term "history" is increasingly used in place of "prehistory" (e.g. [[History of Earth]], [[history of the universe]]). Nevertheless, the distinction remains important to many scholars, particularly in the social sciences. The primary researchers into [[Human]] prehistory are prehistoric [[archaeologists]] and physical [[anthropologists]] who use excavation, geographic survey, and scientific analysis to reveal and interpret the nature and behavior of pre-literate and non-literate peoples. | ||
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| - | Human prehistory differs from [[history]] not only in terms of [[chronology]] but in the way it deals with the activities of [[archaeological culture]]s rather than named [[nation]]s or [[individual]]s. Restricted to material remains rather than written records (and indeed only those remains that have survived), prehistory is anonymous. Because of this, the reference terms used by prehistorians such as [[Neanderthal]] or [[Iron Age]] are modern, arbitrary labels, the precise definition of which is often subject to discussion and argument. | ||
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| - | The date marking the end of prehistory, that is the date when [[List of languages by first written accounts|written historical]] records become a useful academic resource, varies from region to region. In [[Egypt]] it is generally accepted that prehistory ended around [[3200 BC]] whereas in [[New Guinea]] the end of the prehistoric era is set much more recently, [[1900]]. | ||
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| - | ==See also== | ||
| - | *[[Archaeoastronomy]] | ||
| - | *[[Archaeology]] | ||
| - | *[[Anthropology]] | ||
| - | *[[Holocene]] | ||
| - | *[[Paleoanthropology]] | ||
| - | *[[Archaic Homo sapiens]] | ||
| - | *[[Prehistoric art]] | ||
| - | *[[Prehistoric erotica]] | ||
| - | *[[Prehistoric life]] | ||
| - | *[[Prehistoric music]] | ||
| - | *[[Prehistoric warfare]] | ||
| - | *[[Prehistoric Medicine]] | ||
| - | *[[Periodization]] | ||
| - | *[[Synoptic table of the principal old world prehistoric cultures]] | ||
| - | *[[Three-age system]] | ||
| - | *[[Younger Dryas]] | ||
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Palynology is defined as "the study of microscopic objects of macromolecular organic composition (i.e. compounds of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen), not capable of dissolution in hydrochloric or hydrofluoric acids." It is the science that studies contemporary and fossil palynomorphs, including pollen, spores, orbicules, dinocysts, acritarchs, chitinozoans and scolecodonts, together with particulate organic matter (POM) and kerogen found in sedimentary rocks and sediments. Palynology does not include diatoms, foraminiferans or other organisms with siliceous or calcareous exoskeletons.
Palynology is an interdisciplinary science and is a branch of earth science (geology or geological science) and biological science (biology), particularly plant science (botany). Stratigraphical palynology is a branch of micropalaeontology and paleobotany which studies fossil palynomorphs from the Precambrian to the Holocene.
Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "Palynology" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on original research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.
