Paleobotany

The paleobotany team wants to know what types of plants were used by the people of Çatalhöyük, and what they were used for. Whether they were wild or domesticated versions of wheat, barley, peas, lentils, chick peas,... Normally plant material decomposes, especially after thousands of years, but if it becomes charred and carbonized near the oven or because the house was burnt, it is preserved. To find and collect them soil samples are put though a "flotation" process. The soil is put in a drum of churning water which separates the heavy particles which sink (rocks, sand) from the light particles (plant remains) which float. They are then dried and sorted for study.