Identifying problematic remains of ancient plant foods: A comparison of the role of chemical, histological and morphological criteria

Hillman, G. C.; Wales, Sue; McLaren, Frances S; Evans, J. G.; Butler, Ann

doi:10.1080/00438243.1993.9980230

Cited by 55 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Microscopy can in some cases provide identifications not attainable by, for example, chemical analysis (although the reverse is also true). Hillman et al [104] argue that chemical studies are advantageous to morphological microscopic research, even though in some cases the best result that can be obtained chemically is a description such as 'cellulosics', which applies to both cellulose and starch [103:227] (cf. [18:114]).…”

Section: Archaeological Starch Residue Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

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The decomposition of starch grains in soils: implications for archaeological residue analyses

Haslam

2004

Journal of Archaeological Science

219

128

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Section: Archaeological Starch Residue Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Additionally, this paper concentrates on aspects of microscopic rather than chemical compositional residue analyses (e.g. [7,104,109,149]), as historically microscopy has been the more commonly employed tool in starch residue studies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The decomposition of starch grains in soils: implications for archaeological residue analyses

Haslam

2004

Journal of Archaeological Science

219

128

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“…Previous studies on these kinds of fruits and seeds are usually restricted to the change of the dimensions upon carbonization [5,29,35]. To date, only a few papers have addressed the change in the physical and chemical composition of fruits and seeds as a result of carbonization [19,23].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Laboratory simulations of the transformation of peas as a result of heat treatment: changes of the physical and chemical properties

Braadbaart

Boon

Veld³

et al. 2004

Journal of Archaeological Science

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The residues of heated organic remains, usually called carbonized or charred remains, are ubiquitous in the archaeological record and are often used to interpret certain aspects of past ways of living. This study focuses on the physical and chemical alterations, both as a function of temperature and time that occur when the transformation of a polysaccharide-rich biomass is simulated in the laboratory. Peas (Pisum sativum) are heated at temperatures ranging from 130-700 (C under anoxic conditions and atmospheric pressure, during a maximum of 2 h. Changes in weight and the relative percentages of C, N, H and O are noted alongside modifications of the internal and external morphology. Vitrinite reflectance provides an elegant tool to determine the heating temperature of the residues. The kinetics that determine the changes and modifications are discussed. The resulting solid products of the heating process can be conveniently considered in five phases, which fit the physical and chemical properties. The simulation provides a rigorous basis for the study of the formation processes, as applied in the archaeology, after the so-called "carbonization" process.

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“…Cappers and Neef 2012;Gyulai 2001). Beyond mechanical impacts, diaspores may also be degraded by chemical and biological processes, resulting in distended, deformed materials and corroded surfaces (Gyulai 2001;Hillman et al 1993;Pearsall 2000;van Bergen et al 1997). However, de Moulins (2007 and Miller (1989) note that desiccated materials are usually not affected by these processes because chemical and microbial degradation is lacking or is slow in continuously dry conditions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of desiccated and deformed diaspores from natural building materials

Henn

Pál

2015

EBL

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With the increasing sophistication of paleoethnobotanical methods, it is now possible to reconstruct new aspects of the day-to-day life of past peoples, and, ultimately, gain information about their cultivated plants, land-use practices, architecture, diet, and trade. Reliable identification of plant remains, however, remains essential to the study of paleoethnobotany, and there is still much to learn about precise identification. This paper describes and evaluates the most frequent types of deformed desiccated diaspores revealed from adobe bricks used in buildings in Southwestern Hungary that were built primarily between 1850 and 1950. A total of 24,634 diaspores were recovered from 333.05 kg adobe samples. These seeds and fruits belong to 303 taxa, and the majority were arable and ruderal weed species. A total of 98.97% of the diaspores were identified to species. In other cases, identification was possible only to genus or family (0.93% and 0.10% of diaspores, respectively). Difficulties in identification were caused mainly by morphological changes in the size, shape, color, and surface features of diaspores. Most diaspores were darker in color and significantly smaller than fresh or recently desiccated seeds and fruits. Surface features were often absent or fragmented. The most problematic seeds to identify were those of Centaurea cyanus, Consolida regalis, Scleranthus annuus and Daucus carota ssp. carota, which are discussed in detail. Our research aids archaeobotanists in the identification of desiccated and deformed diaspores.

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Identifying problematic remains of ancient plant foods: A comparison of the role of chemical, histological and morphological criteria

Cited by 55 publications

References 24 publications

The decomposition of starch grains in soils: implications for archaeological residue analyses

The decomposition of starch grains in soils: implications for archaeological residue analyses

Laboratory simulations of the transformation of peas as a result of heat treatment: changes of the physical and chemical properties

Evaluation of desiccated and deformed diaspores from natural building materials

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