Bonekickers

History behind ‘Army of God’: Pollen Analysis

Pollen spores are among the most robust of plant remains, and can survive in the soil for long periods of time. Archaeologists use them to reconstruct past environments, and normally collect pollen in waterlogged lake deposits and then count and analyse them microscopically to reconstruct past vegetation patterns.

Pollen can also adhere to objects, and gives a clue as to where they may have come from. In Bonekickers we used pollen from Gundelia tournefortii, which is a possible candidate for the crown of thorns at the Crucifixion. Spores of this pollen, it has been claimed, were found on the Turin shroud.