Europe Van Zeist conducted research in Europe on the oldest recovered
canoe in the world, the
Pesse canoe found in the Netherlands. According to
C14 dating analysis it was found to be constructed somewhere between 8200 and 7600 BC. Van Zeist also conducted analytical studies of
pollen cores and charred seeds and fruits from archaeological excavations at
Gasselte,
Noordbarge,
Odoorn, Peelo and
Wijster. In 1983 he became a member of the
Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Near East , from
Tell Aswad In 1975, van Zeist began work on establishing the climatological record for the Near East with pollen analyses from
Iran and
Turkey. Along with other studies he concluded that there had only been relatively minor fluctuations in the climate of this area since 5500
BC. He conducted paleobotanical studies and dating analyses at various Near Eastern archaeological sites such as
Tell Ramad,
Tell Ghoraife,
El Kowm,
Ras Shamra,
Cayonu,
Ganj Dareh,
Mureybet and
Tell Aswad. At the latter site near Mount Hermon in
Syria, he made a find of the earliest cultivated
Emmer Wheat yet found anywhere on
Earth to date, along with what he considered to be domesticated
peas and
lentils along with other grains such as
einkorn and
barley at later stages. ==Selected bibliography==