human diets and their cultural and evolutionary roots have been at the center of my research efforts over the last two decades. In my own laboratory, I investigate paleodiet through the identification and analysis of ancient plant remains (an “arcane subspecialty,” as one acquaintance described it). Perhaps it was the recognition that the more technical aspects of the work were of interest to only a small subset of my colleagues that initially kept me from seeing that research into ancient human diets has the potential to reach a wider audience. However, there was another factor – the enormous increase in the quantity and quality of relevant data over the past few decades. New techniques for extracting information from a wide variety of archaeological materials are featured with great regularity in journals such as the Journal of Archaeological Science. Both methods and theoretical frameworks for better understanding human diets have proliferated in recent years, making it difficult indeed to keep up with developments.

It was during the process of trying to help students understand and work with this vast array of new information that the idea for this book began to germinate. In developing a graduate seminar on paleodiet, I decided to emphasize the variety of methods now available and what they might be able to teach us.