The roots of pollen analysis: the road to Lennart von Post

In 2016 the 100th birthday of palynology was celebrated: Lennart von Post introduced the scientific discipline in 1916 at lectures in Oslo and Stockholm. However, von Post was not the first to study pollen, and research dates back to the works of Nehemiah Grew and Marcello Malpighi in the late 17th century. Afterwards studies focussed mainly on the role of pollen for plant reproduction, and on pollen morphology. The first scientist who observed fossil pollen was Heinrich Göppert in 1836. However, it was not until the 1890s and 1900s that the study of pollen became a regular component in the reconstruction of past vegetation. Lennart von Post subsequently developed theoretical and practical concepts and methods of pollen analysis, and raised palynology from its infancy into the mature scientific discipline that flourished greatly during the century that followed.