Biofact (archaeology)

In archaeology, a biofact (or ecofact) is an object, found at an archaeological site and carrying archaeological significance, but previously unhanded by humans. A common type of biofact is a plant seed. A seed can be linked to the species of plant that produced it; if massive numbers of seeds of an cultivated species are found at a site, it may be inferred that the species may have been grown for food or other products that are useful to humans, such as clothing, bedding or building materials. Another type of biofact is an uncarved, wooden roof beam. Dendrochronological analysis of some wood samples can help to determine the date during which a site was occupied. Yet another example of a biofact is a bone.