Geophytes are a critical food staple for many hunter-gatherer societies across the world. Despite recognition of their importance in the archaeological record, geophyte handling has often been portrayed in simplistic terms and the important processing, storage, and social components of their handling have not been fully realized. We present a case study from the Southern Plateau of western North America that addresses these issues. We begin by offering a framework for processing and storage that highlights storage diversity and the front-back loaded nature and flexibility of geophytes. Next, we present a geophyte field processing model to predict when field versus central place processing would occur, which provides important insights into archaeological site and artifact distributions. We then turn to the social dynamics of geophyte handling, suggesting that women were major producers and drivers of geophyte-related economies who could buffer the costs of intensive field processing strategies through bulk processing and by engaging family groups in geophyte-related activities. These logistical strategies helped to increase geophyte utility and offset transport costs and the opportunity cost that geophyte handling presented to childcare. We conclude with archaeological predictions for geophyte processing and storage signatures among societies using pedestrian, equestrian, and canoe modes of transportation.

对于世界各地的许多狩猎采集社会而言，地球植物是重要的食品主食。尽管认识到它们在考古记录中的重要性，但通常以简单化的方式来描绘地物植物的处理方式，并且还没有完全意识到其处理的重要处理，存储和社会组成部分。我们提供了一个来自北美西部南部高原的案例研究来解决这些问题。我们首先提供一个用于处理和存储的框架，该框架突出显示了存储植物的多样性以及地理植物的前后加载性质和灵活性。接下来，我们提出了一个地理植物野外处理模型，以预测何时会发生野外处理与中心地点处理之间的关系，这为考古遗址和人工制品的分布提供了重要的见识。然后，我们转向地理植物处理的社会动态，这表明妇女是与赘生物有关的经济体的主要生产者和推动者，可以通过批量加工或通过让家庭群体参与与赘生物有关的活动来缓冲集约化深加工战略的成本。这些后勤策略有助于增加植物的实用性并抵消运输成本以及处理植物所带来的机会成本。我们以步行，马术和独木舟的运输方式为考古学预测了地球上植物的加工和存储特征。这些后勤策略有助于增加植物的实用性并抵消运输成本以及处理植物所带来的机会成本。我们以步行，马术和独木舟的运输方式为考古学预测了地球上植物的加工和存储特征。这些后勤策略有助于增加植物的实用性并抵消运输成本以及处理植物所带来的机会成本。我们以步行，马术和独木舟的运输方式为考古学预测了地球上植物的加工和存储特征。