Irwin Rovner (born 1941) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

who initiated the study and use of

phytoliths Phytoliths (from Greek, "plant stone") are rigid, microscopic structures made of silica, found in some plant tissues and persisting after the decay of the plant. These plants take up silica from the soil, whereupon it is deposited within different ...

archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

. He is retired from the faculty of

North Carolina State University North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The universit ...

. Rovner is

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

of Binary Analytical Consultants, which provides expert vision and computer-assisted

morphometric Morphometrics (from Greek μορϕή ''morphe'', "shape, form", and -μετρία ''metria'', "measurement") or morphometry refers to the quantitative analysis of ''form'', a concept that encompasses size and shape. Morphometric analyses are co ...

analysis of micro- and macro- remains and artifacts in support of archaeological investigations.

Selected works

* 1971 "Potential of

Opal Opal is a hydrated amorphous form of silica (SiO2·''n''H2O); its water content may range from 3 to 21% by weight, but is usually between 6 and 10%. Due to its amorphous property, it is classified as a mineraloid, unlike crystalline forms ...

Phytolith Phytoliths (from Greek, "plant stone") are rigid, microscopic structures made of silica, found in some plant tissues and persisting after the decay of the plant. These plants take up silica from the soil, whereupon it is deposited within different ...

s for Use in Paleoecological Reconstruction," ''Quaternary Research'' 1: 343–359. * 1983 "Plant Opal Phytolith Analysis: Major Advances in Archaeobotanical Research," pp. 225–266 in: Schiffer, Michael (ed.) ''Advances in Archaeological Method and Theory'' Academic Press, New York. * John C. Russ and Irwin Rovner, 1989 "Stereological Identification of Opal Phytolith Populations from Wild and Cultivated Zea," ''American Antiquity'' 54 (4): 784–792.

References

American archaeologists Ethnobiologists 21st-century American botanists 1941 births Living people Archaeobotanists {{archaeologist-stub