Gourd and squash artifacts yield starch grains of feasting foods from preceramic Peru

Duncan, Neil A.; Pearsall, Deborah M.; Benfer, Robert A.

doi:10.1073/pnas.0903322106

Cited by 65 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 21 publications

(26 reference statements)

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“…S2: A-B1, E, E1, L, L1; possibly T and T1); three derive from Late Archaic Tool 57. The presence of Phaseolus at Jiskairumoko would not be not surprising, as this taxon has been identified in Andean contexts dating as early as 8,210-6,970 14 C y BP (16,35).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Late Archaic–Early Formative period microbotanical evidence for potato at Jiskairumoko in the Titicaca Basin of southern Peru

Rumold

Aldenderfer

2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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The data presented in this paper provide direct microbotanical evidence concerning the early use of potato (Solanum tuberosum) within its botanical locus of origin in the high south-central Andes. The data derive from Jiskairumoko, an early village site in the western Titicaca Basin dating to the Late Archaic to Early Formative periods (∼3,400 cal y BC to 1,600 cal y BC). Because the site reflects the transition to sedentism and food production, these data may relate to potato domestication and early cultivation. Of 141 starch microremains recovered from 14 groundstone tools from Jiskairumoko, 50 are identified as consistent with cultivated or domesticated potato, based on reference to published materials and a study of wild and cultivated potato starch morphology. Along with macro- and microbotanical evidence for chenopod consumption and grinding tool data reflecting intensive use of this technology throughout site occupation, the microbotanical data reported here suggest the intensive exploitation, if not cultivation, of plant resources at Jiskairumoko. Elucidating the details of the trajectory of potato domestication is necessary for an overall understanding of the development of highland Andean agriculture, as this crop is central to the autochthonous agricultural suite. A paucity of direct botanical evidence, however, has hindered research efforts. The results of the modern and archaeological starch analyses presented here underscore the utility of this method in addressing questions related to the timing, mode, and context of potato origins.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Late Archaic–Early Formative period microbotanical evidence for potato at Jiskairumoko in the Titicaca Basin of southern Peru

Rumold

Aldenderfer

2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…Table 1 shows the archaeological time periods referred to in this article. provided evidence of plant use in archaeological contexts, for example: agricultural beginnings and plant domestication [19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38]; hominin and pre-agricultural human diet and ancient technologies [39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53]; prehistoric chimpanzee food processing and diet [54]; environmental reconstruction [55]. Table 1 shows the archaeological time periods referred to in this article.…”

Section: Starch As An Archaeological Toolmentioning

confidence: 99%

Archaeological Starch

Copeland

Hardy

2018

Agronomy

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Abstract:This article reviews evidence of how starch granules associated with archaeological artefacts provide an insight into the use of plants by our ancestors for food, medicines and cultural activities. The properties of starch relevant to archaeological contexts, methods for examining ancient starch and the types of environmental conditions that would promote survival of starch granules over hundreds of thousands of years as part of the archaeological record, are considered. Starch granules identified in dental calculus are clear indicators of the individual having consumed starchy food as part of the diet. However, surviving starch granules may be only a tiny fraction of those consumed over a lifetime and not necessarily representative of foods that were in the diet. A hypothesis, based on a combination of archaeological, physiological and genetic evidence, that plant foods containing high quantities of digestible starch were essential for the evolution of the modern human phenotype, is discussed.

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“…Ceramic fragments also indicate aspects of subsistence through analyses of vessel form and function (Goldstein 2003), artwork (Somerville et al 2015), and residues on ceramic fabric (Duncan, Pearsall, and Benfer 2009). Ancient chicha production is illustrated on ceramic vessels from sites at Lake Titicaca (Goldstein 2003).…”

Section: Ceramic Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this study the form and functionality of each vessel was studied to determine the role of women in the domestic sphere of large-scale state populations. Food storage vessels and preparation methodology have also been indicated using macroscopic ceramic analyses and ethnohistoric data in conjunction (Duncan, Pearsall, and Benfer 2009). According to Bray (2003:7), "potatoes could be eaten green, roasted, cooked, or in stews," or "preserved through a process of alternative exposure to sun and frost" as a means of dehydrating them for storage.…”

Section: Ceramic Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite a lack of macrobotanical remains in their assemblage, Zarrillo et al (2008) were able to identify accessible crops and potential food items that had been directly processed. In preceramic sites, like Buena Vista, Peru, Duncan, Pearsall, and Benfer (2009) similarly analyzed bottle gourd and squash vessels to identify the presence of food residues. Due to the excellent preservation conditions in Peru, these utilitarian vessels contained ancient residues of yuccas, potato, chili pepper, arrowroot, and tree root (algarrobo spp.).…”

Section: Ceramic Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

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FULL ISSUE Compass (2017) Volume 1, Issue 1, pp.1-65

Editors¹

2017

SAJA

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Compass aims to navigate its readers through the four exciting fields of Anthropology. Our student journal highlights the exemplary level of academic research in Anthropology at the University of Alberta and elsewhereCompass is published annually as collaboration between the Association of Graduate Anthropology Students (AGAS) and the Department of Anthropology at the University of Alberta. Formerly Diversipede, our student-run publication allows undergraduate and graduate students to share their work and ideas, creating a platform for discussion and knowledge. Submissions consist of original ongoing research, reviews of current anthropological issues, and anything related to an anthropological interest form any of the sub-fields. https://journals.library.ualberta.ca/compass The Creative Commons-Attribution License 4.0 International applies to all works published by Compass. Authors will retain copyright of the work. This license lets other distribute, remix, tweak, and build upon work published in Compass, even commercially, as long as there is an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal. COMPASS: The Student Anthropology Journal of Alberta A Note from the Editors in Chief,Roughly one year ago Katherine came to Victoria with a proposition to create a student journal. We ended up discussing publishing opportunities and went through our previous experiences. While completing her degrees at Ontario Universities, Katherine was given the opportunity to work on two student journals. She had seen the benefits of students working with the publishing process in a lowstakes environment. Coming from a Dutch University, Victoria never had the opportunity to work with a student journal as it simply was not a practice there, but felt the need and desire to do so. Despite our different backgrounds we both enthusiastically agreed that a student journal would afford students chances to get involved and become better writers.We set out to create a platform that fosters a less stressful and more hands-on publishing environment for everyone. Although our department already had an Anthropology Journal (Diversipede), it was not well known and all of the previous staff had since graduated. We wanted to give the journal a makeover to be inclusive to all members of our department, bring the journal into an open-access forum to reach a larger audience, and format the process to allow more students to get involved. After months of working with our (at that time) small team of volunteers and library liaison, we had a website, a logo, and a growing interest in publishing our first issue. More volunteers came on board and after months of reviews, copyedits, and formatting later, we are proud to introduce our first issue. We sincerely thank all those who helped bring this issue to fruition, and hope that this is the first of many.Although this is the "Anthropology Journal of Alberta", we encourage any student to get involved and welcome any who are interested in submitting their work or becoming revie...

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Gourd and squash artifacts yield starch grains of feasting foods from preceramic Peru

Cited by 65 publications

References 21 publications

Late Archaic–Early Formative period microbotanical evidence for potato at Jiskairumoko in the Titicaca Basin of southern Peru

Late Archaic–Early Formative period microbotanical evidence for potato at Jiskairumoko in the Titicaca Basin of southern Peru

Archaeological Starch

FULL ISSUE Compass (2017) Volume 1, Issue 1, pp.1-65

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