As an archaeobotanist, I am responsible for the analysis and quantification of a range of archaeobotanical remains including charred, waterlogged, and mineralised, and desiccated fruits, nuts, and seeds to better understand past human-plant relationships. Since joining MOLA in 2025, I haveworked on a wide range of projects, from central London to the Midlands and East-Anglia, and from Neolithic to post medieval contexts.
I am currently in the process of completing my PhD at UCL’s Institute of Archaeology. Alongside this, I have delivered seminars, lectures and technical support for various undergraduate and postgraduate courses, the majority within environmental archaeology. I have contributed as an archaeobotanical researcher to excavation projects at Jebel Barkal and Jebel Moya in Sudan and co-run a small experimental archaeology project recreating Bronze Age farming practices at Butser Ancient Farm.
My PhD focusses on the domestication of fruit and fibre crops and changing social complexity in South Asia in the first centuries BCE. My research interests include social transformations, past plant-human interactions, biodiversity, and the relevance of historical environmental practices for addressing future challenges.
You can see my publications here: Anna M. H. den Hollander | Publications | University College London