| Abstract: |
Bangladesh is a land of rich agricultural heritage stretching back to the Palaeolithic (Chakrabarty 1992, Ahsan 2007). It has been a long-held, unquestioned assumption amongst Bangladeshi archaeologists that archaeobotanical remains cannot survive due to the tropical environmental condition found in Bangladesh and therefore no archaeobotanical research has been untaken to date. However, we wish to challenge this idea and suggest that it is possible to collect process and identify archaeobotanical samples in various archaeological contexts in Bangladesh. To support this thesis rice (Oryza sativa L), millet, pulses, cotton and mustard seeds from archaeological sites Wari- Bateshwar and Vikrampura have recently been recovered. The Department of Archaeology, Jahangirnagar University has initiated a preliminary collaboration with University College London, Institute of Archaeology, to begin systematic archaeobotanical research in Bangladesh. Preliminary results from this international joint venture suggest that collecting and carrying out flotation for the collection of archaeobotanical remains is worthwhile, even under tropical conditions, and can potentially shed new insights into the spread and domestication of crops, past agricultural strategies used, exploitation of wild resources and reconstruction of the natural and altered environment in Bangladesh.
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