Birgül explains about her work using microscopic plant remains to understand life in ancient western Asia. What are phytoliths and how do we find them? How can such microscopic evidence tell us about building use, for example? And where do they sit in the archaeological toolkit? 3:12 what are phytoliths? 5:14 sampling method 8:02 dung 11:43 limitations of phytoliths 14:07 from the micro-scale to the big picture 16:59 combination with other methods 20:59 training 26:27 Birgül's projects Birgül's Academia page If you would like to donate in support of the earthquake victims, Birgül suggests the following organisations:  Ahbap: https://ahbap.org/ Akut: https://www.akut.org.tr/en  Music by Ruba Hillawi Website: http://wedgepod.org YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSM7ZlAAgOXv4fbTDRyrWgw Email: [email protected] Twitter: @wedge_pod Patreon: http://Patreon.com/WedgePod