A new face at NIhK: Jonathan Baines joins the team

Throughout human history, the use of plant resources has played a pivotal role. Whether gathered or cultivated, plants were a dietary cornerstone, served as medicine as well as animal fodder and were also of great importance to people’s daily lives as building materials or fuel. Accordingly, the systematic examination of plant-derived objects recovered from archaeological excavations — or the remains of their use — is crucial in reconstructing the living conditions of past societies, particularly those without a written tradition. Archaeologist and paleobotanist Dr. Jonathan Baines joined the NIhK in March 2026 to investigate this exciting field of research. His area of focus involves examining plant usage during the first half of the 1st millennium across northwestern Germany’s various landscapes. As part of the DFG-funded Fallward project, he is looking into the role plants played in the burial traditions of the people living in the Marsch region during the Roman Imperial and Migration Periods. Furthermore, researching for the Union of Academies-funded project 'Westgermania in Transition,' Jonathan Baines investigates the regional vegetation between the Rhine, Weser, and North Sea with a particular emphasis on plant exploitation and the strategies employed during this era.