Irene Esteban

My interdisciplinary research unites palaeobotany (through the study of plant micro-remains) and palaeoanthropology (archaeology). I use two microscopic techniques, phytoliths and infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), to explore the interaction between human foraging behaviours and past environments throughout the Quaternary. I study archaeological sites using these techniques to answer questions related to human behaviour (i.e. plant foraging strategies and people’s use of plants) and pyrotechnology (plant-fuels and hearth functioning), and its coupled response to climate and environmental changes.