'Ecofacts are frequently as important as artefacts; they constitute general environmental evidence that might be entombed alongside that of human activity. The most commonly analysed material is pollen, which can give a snapshot of the environment in which the activity was occurring. The conifer cone shown here is a macroscopic indicator of the type of environment.'
(source, ch-www.st-and.ac.uk/wood/Ecofacts.html)

'This is one of those specialist technical terms that lurk in the interstices of the language for a while, but then suddenly pop out, catching word researchers by surprise. Though it’s well known in archaeology and has been around at least since the early 1970s, it appears only rarely in dictionaries.
An ecofact is a find at an archaeological site which comes from something living, but which has not been modified by human activity. Examples are wheat seeds, sheep bones, or seashells at inland sites. Finds like these tell us something about the diet, way of life, or culture of the people who lived there.'
(source, www.worldwidewords.org/turnsofphrase/tp-eco4.htm)

ecofact [Ge].
Strictly, natural materials that have been used by humans, for example the remains of plants and animals that were eaten by a given community. More generally taken as material recovered from archaeological sites, or other sealed deposits, which is relevant to the study of ancient environments and ecology. Examples include: animal bones, seeds, snail shells, waterlogged wood, and pollen.
(source, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology -
http://www.enotes.com/arch-encyclopedia/ecofact)

Also translated as 'biofacts' (but gets less ghits)
'Biofacts or ecofacts are objects of archaeological interest created by organisms other than humans, such as those from seeds or animal bones.'
(source, www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Artifact_(archaeology) )


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 12 days (2009-09-02 04:59:28 GMT) Post-grading
--------------------------------------------------

Thank you, femme. B.