UAG- Archlab
Uppsala Archaebotanical group
Uppsala Archaebotanical group (UAG) is part of the VR funded national infrastructure Archlab http://archlab.se/, funded by the Swedish Research Council to develop and quality-assure laboratory analyses as well as for collaboration and integration between archaeological laboratory sciences and archaeology.
What is UAG?
UAG consists of the archaeobotanist and paleoecologist expert Anneli Ekblom (macrofossil and pollen analyses, archaeological and ecological interpretation and links to conservation), infrastructure specialist Vincenza Ferrera (phytolith analyses and landscape interpretation). We engage in state-of-the-art science and advance our respective fields using Artificial Intelligence through collaboration with Nepal https://northerneuropeanpalynology.github.io/.
Furthermore, we advise on integrating archaeobotanical and paleoecological methods and knowledge into archaeology. conservation and landscape planning. Historical knowledge and long-term perspectives are essential in building landscapes and practices that promote biodiversity. We also offer laboratory training, guidance, and advice on project planning in archaeology and landscape management. Although we are based in Sweden, we have several ongoing collaborations in other parts of Europe, Africa, and South America.
Our network
UAG also coordinates a network of scholars with a range of other skills. Many of our members, students, doctoral candidates, and researchers have built their own consulting companies within archabotany (see the UAG Network LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/groups/10008220/). We meet bi-monthly online to discuss new ideas and conceptual methods, to exchange experiences in the identification and development of laborative methods.
We are dedicated to open science and the essential exchange of knowledge. By sharing expertise, we’re building a community focused on advancing and preserving knowledge for future generations. Our group develops digital tools to make collaboration more accessible than ever. By connecting expertise with innovation, we’re ensuring that valuable knowledge is shared and preserved for the future. Join us as we embrace a new era of digital progress.
What we offer
We take contracts from the private and public sector. Contact information is at the bottom of the page
We offer
- Pollen- och sporer: prepararation of samples, use of lab facilities and analyses
- Macrofossil analyses
- Siliceous microfossil (Phytolith) analyses
- Scanning of microscope slides
The following methods are under development
- Diatom analyses
- Ceramic analyses
- SEM photography and analyses
Products
Detection models for Pollen using AI with associated models and training images available https://northerneuropeanpalynology.github.io/tools/tools.html
Spatial detection tools Ferrara, V., Lindberg, J., Wästfelt, A. (2024). CONTEXTS.py 1.0 (1.0). Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10615018
Reference collections
In addition to below listed services, we host seed, pollen and spore collections from Scandinavia, and training materials on pollen and diatoms. We also have a small seed collection from Zimbabwe and reference material for southern African pollen. You are welcome to visit our collections.
Contact us!
Contact anneli.ekblom@arkeologi.uu.se for more information
Publications 2024-2026
Ferrara, V., Von Allmen, R., Salame González, M.F., Revert Francés, E. (2026). Lab waste as hidden treasure. Early results of phytolith analysis from Iberian prehistoric post-ORA pottery powder. Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology, 4:1626314.
Ferrara, V., Sala, G., Garfì, G., La Mantia, T., Ekblom, A. (2025). Down with the roots. Phytoliths as biocultural traces in historical olive agroecosystems of Sicily. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 13: 1625887. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2025.1625887
Larsson, P.I., Ekblom, A., Ilves, K. (2025). Tracing anthropogenic indicators for small-scale land use on the Åland Islands: palynological and correlation analyses. Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology 4: 1606122. https://doi.org/10.3389/fearc.2025.1606122
Courtney Mustaphi, C.J.C., Camara-Brugger, S.O., Chellman, N.J., Muñoz, S., Kariuki, R.W., Damber, M., Shoemaker, A., Ekblom, A., Munishi, L., Lane, P., Marchant, R., Heiri, H. (2025). Multiple paleofire proxy metrics from tropical lake sediment and soil in the Greater Serengeti Ecosystem. The Holocene https://doi.org/10.1177/09596836251340882
Mustaphi, C.J.C., Camara-Brugger, S.O., Ekblom, A., Munishi, L., Kariuki, R., Shoemaker, A., Lane, P., Marchant, R. (2025). Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 333, 105240 Multiporate Poaceae pollen grains observed in the recent fossil record from the Greater Serengeti Ecosystem and Lake Victoria region. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S003466672400191X
von Allmen, R., Brugger, S., Schleicher, K.D. 2024 Method development and application of object detection and classification to Quaternary fossil pollen sequences https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277379124000222
Mazuy, A., Ferrara, V., Ekblom, A., Delhon, C. 2024. A rapid and simple method for the extraction of biogenic silica (BSi) in phytolith-poor sediments and soils. MethodsX https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2215016124000888#
Katrantsiotis, C., Haberle, S., Ekblom, A. et al. 2024. Late quaternary hydroclimate variability in Madagascar and its connection to atmospheric circulation patterns https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2024.112336
Ferrara, V. 2024. Historical Olive Agroecosystems of Sicily. Operationalising Biocultural Heritage for Sustainable Futures. Studies in Global Archaeology 29. Uppsala: Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis. ISBN 978-91-506-3072-5.
Ferrara, V., Sala, G., La Mantia, T. 2024. Change and persistence in an olive landscape of Sicily. Geospatial insights into biocultural heritage. Human Ecology, 52, 353–366.
Gota, P., Ekblom, A. 2024. Locally protected forests: status, character and challenges a case study of Inhambane Province, southern Mozambique. Biodiversity and Conservation https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-024-02822-z.