Lipid residue analysis of ceramic vessels from the Liujiawa site of the Rui State (early Iron Age, north China)

Abstract

The Liujiawa site is located in the Agricultural-Nomadic Transitional Zone in Northern China (ANTZNC), inhabited during the early Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC). Little is known about the diets of its inhabitants or agricultural management practices due to scant historical descriptions. In this study, lipid analysis was conducted on pottery sherds collected from two residential areas within the Liujiawa site. The results offer direct evidence for the processing of millet and ruminant and non-ruminant carcass products by the commoners of the Liujiawa community. The individual δ 13 C values of fatty acids with positive fluctuation indicate that some ruminant animals and pigs were fed C 4 plants as fodder. The routine consumption of ruminant meat by the common inhabitants also reflects a more diverse food source than that proposed in historical descriptions that have suggested dietary heterogeneity between the upper and lower classes: cattle or ovicaprid meat was not a singular privilege enjoyed by the noble classes. On the contrary, commoners also consumed the meat as a food source. Moreover, direct evidence of dairy processing has been found for the first time in pottery residues from an archaeological site within ANTZNC, strongly indicating that milk had been incorporated into the diet as an additional source of food.

Prehistoric human occupation and adaptation on the hinterland of the Tibetan Plateau in the Early Holocene

“…Molecular and isotopic approaches in archaeological residue analysis offer the chance to precisely assess the origin of specific fats (Evershed, 2008, Han et al, 2022). In Figure 9, the δ 13 C 16:0 and δ 13 C 18:0 values for the DQ hearths are plotted against data on fat proxy from plant oils (C 3 leaves and wood) (Jambrina-Enríquez et al, 2019) and animal fats (ruminant and non-ruminant adipose fat), to better characterize the lipid origin (Copley et al 2003, Craig et al 2012, Jambrina-Enríquez et al 2019).…”

Chemical profiling of a 130‐year‐old manuscript reveals the early use of synthetic lead white correction fluid in ancient China

“…At the same time, in the TMHA‐pyrolysis of the lead white powder, fatty acids palmitic acid (C 16:0 ), and stearic acid (C 18:0 ) were detected in their methyl esterified form, which confirmed the SEM observation (Figure S10). Palmitic acid/stearic acid (P/S) was approximately 4, indicating that plant oil was used in this white correction fluid (Han, Sun, et al, 2022). The detection of N on some stroke‐like gray areas (Figure S11) indicates that they should emanate from ink, which usually contains animal glue in their ingredients (Perruchini et al, 2022).…”

Lipids in Archaeological Pottery: A Review on Their Sampling and Extraction Techniques

“…FFAs are the principal constituents of hydrolyzed fats and oils, the most encountered and investigated lipid types associated with archaeological pottery [ 36 ]. Despite many FFAs being identified in archaeological ceramic sherds [ 37 , 38 ], only some of them were detected in significant amounts, especially if the ceramic containers have been treated at high temperatures for cooking purposes or they have been subjected to burial, being exposed to chemical reactions (oxidation, hydrolysis, condensation) [ 1 , 39 ]. FFAs consist, in most cases, of an unbranched hydrocarbon chain, mainly containing an even number of carbon atoms, commonly from 12 to 24, and a terminal carboxyl group.…”

“…In the case of adipose ruminant and non-ruminant animal fats, oxidation reactions could cause the formation of unsaturated short-chain dicarboxylic, hydroxy- and dihydroxy carboxylic acids, both in the free and esterified form [ 19 ]. The detection of (α,ω)-dicarboxylic acids ranging from C 5 –C 7 to C 12 –C 13 has been reported in the literature [ 38 ]. The azelaic acid (nonanedioic acid, Figure 2 ) represents one of the most detected (α,ω)-dicarboxylic acids, indicating that FA precursors were featured by a double-bond at the C 9 -position (i.e., oleic acid).…”

“…Betulin, lupeol and their derivatives, such as lupenone, betulone ( Figure 2 ) and betulinic acid, are archaeological biomarkers of birch bark [ 94 ]. In the last decade, a pentacyclic triterpene methyl ether named miliacin, commonly found in millet grains, was also identified in prehistoric pottery vessels [ 38 , 95 ].…”