Three lipid analysis methods were applied to extracts of archaeological potsherds from the ancient city of Sagalassos, south-west Turkey. In the fatty acid methyl ester fraction, obtained by selective transesterification of acylglycerols, the ratio of methyl palmitate to methyl stearate was determined. Secondly, by means of gas chromatographycombustion-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC-C-IRMS), stable carbon isotope ratios were measured for the same methyl esters. Finally, triglyceride composition was determined via high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS). All three methods can be used to trace the origin of animal fat. Agreement between them is reasonable, especially in recognizing ruminant adipose fat. One sample was found to be of dairy origin using both GC-C-IRMS and HPLC-MS. The advantages of the various methods are discussed. Variations in lipid composition were observed between samples from different periods and excavated in diverse areas within the city of Sagalassos.
The potters' quarter of the ancient city of Sagalassos, southwest Turkey, was one of the largest and most enduring ceramic-producing manufactories in the eastern Mediterranean. The objective of our study was to determine environmental circumstances that favored development of different clay resources in the territory of Sagalassos and to assess utilization of these resources in the local pottery manufactory. The potters' quarter was established where, owing to favorable geological circumstances, a large clay body had developed. The bedrock in the potters' quarter, a tectonized ophiolite sequence, has synclinal structure; hence, surface runoff and groundwater tend to accumulate in its center. The weathering of the basic rock formed a smectite-rich clay with vertic properties. This clay was mined in antiquity, and mineralogical and chemical analyses indicate that it was used for the production of local ceramics from Hellenistic to Byzantine times. It is likely that colluvium on top of the ophiolitic clay at the potters' quarter is related to deforestation and slope processes after the potters' quarter was abandoned. In sum, environmental circumstances determined the location of the artisanal quarter of Sagalassos, with its clay quarrying operation and ceramic manufactory. However, for the local mass-produced Sagalassos red slip ware, the results of our chemical and mineralogical analyses indicate that a different, more suitable clay was used: detrital lake sediments, rich in chlorite and chlorite/smectite mixed layers, located about 8 km from the original artisanal quarter. The choice for this clay was determined both by the presence of a suitable clay deposit, as well as socio-economic circumstances such as land ownership. The site of Sagalassos yielded unique evidence of mining of clay at a ceramic production site, as well as import of nearby clays. The local and imported clays were used side-by-side, but one for the production of common wares and building ceramics, and the other for the manufacturing of luxury fine tablewares. ᭧
Une synthèse des données archéozoologiques sur le commerce de poissons dans la partie orientale de la Méditerranée, depuis le Chalcolithique jusqu 'au temps des croisades, est présentée. Cette revue est basée sur des données bibliographiques et sur des ensembles fauniques inédits, étudiés par les auteurs, provenant de 76 sites. Des restes de poissons provenant du Nil, de la Méditerranée et de la mer Rouge sont fréquemment rencontrés sur des sites archéologiques situés en dehors de la distribution naturelle des espèces et indiquent dès lors qu 'il s 'agit de denrées qui faisaient l 'objet de commerce ou d 'échange. Des indications sur le commerce de poissons d 'eau douce d'Anatolie sont également présentées. Les trouvailles ichtyofauniques sont discutées en fonction de la provenance des poissons et des régions vers lesquelles ils étaient exportés. En utilisant les données archéologiques, les indications des artefacts et les informations historiques disponibles, les changements diachroniques observés dans le commerce de poisson sont décrits, en tenant compte du contexte économique et politique de chacune des régions productrice et consommatrice.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.