Proteinaceous Material from Potsherds and Associated Soils

Composition of ancient Irish bog butter

“…The presence of substantial amounts of small peptides and FAAs in bog butter is likely attributed to proteolytic enzymes, derived from microbial contamination of the butter (Downey, 1980) or perhaps from the surrounding soil. Proteins seem to be less resistant to degradation compared with lipids (Evershed, 1996). The presence in bog butter of some 10% glycerol-bound fatty acids but little or no intact proteins is consistent with this observation.…”

Archaeological Protein Residues: New Data for Conservation Science

“…Many of these compounds, particularly the more complex and fragile ones, such as DNA and proteins, were originally assumed to preserve poorly over long periods of time. In some instances, this assumption has been verified by studies observing a poor degree of preservation in both experimental and archaeological samples (e.g., Evershed and Tuross 1996). However, other studies have successfully challenged this notion by demonstrating that under certain circumstances (e.g., cold, dry environments, rapid burial, sheltered contexts), these compounds can survive for periods much longer than anticipated.…”

Towards the application of desorption electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry (DESI-MS) to the analysis of ancient proteins from artefacts

“…Critical papers highlight the dangers of false positive results, lack of suitable controls, evidence for rapid degradation of most sorbed proteins following burial, and the apparent inconsistency between the claimed persistence of adsorbed residues over millennia contrasted with the apparent ease with which they could be removed using simple solvents in the laboratory. Studies which measured amino acid levels on archaeological pottery also found that yields were low (Evershed and Tuross, 1996), offering further support for the active removal of protein residues following burial in microbially-active soils. As a consequence, residue studies have focussed more upon extraction and amplification of DNA (Loy, 1991;Hardy et al, 1997;Kimura et al, 2001;Shanks et al, 2005) rather than recovery of protein.…”