Simulation Experiments for Determining the Use of Ancient Pottery Vessels: the Behaviour of Epicuticular Leaf Wax During Boiling of a Leafy Vegetable

Charters, S.; Evershed, R. P.; Quye, Anita; Blinkhorn, Paul; Reeves, Valerie B

doi:10.1006/jasc.1995.0091

Cited by 131 publications

(106 citation statements)

References 8 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…To date, only one case is known of lipid distributions denoting plant consumption, in prehistoric Saharan pottery, where n-alkanes indicate the presence of plant leaf waxes and specific fatty acid distributions suggest the processing of plant oils (Dunne et al 2016). Significantly, vessels from the early to middle Holocene sites of Takarkori and Uan Afuda, Libya, were clearly used specifically for plant processing, whereas experiments have shown that if meat and plants were processed in the same vessel, the meat signal would Bswamp^the plant signal (Evershed et al 1991;Charters et al 1997;Evershed 2008a). We also regard as suspect identifications of commodities such as herbs and spices in the literature as these are trace components and will likely be undetectable.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pastoralist Foodways Recorded in Organic Residues from Pottery Vessels of Modern Communities in Samburu, Kenya

Dunne

Grillo

Casanova

et al. 2018

J Archaeol Method Theory

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Organic residue analyses of archaeological ceramics can provide important insights into ancient foodways. To date, however, there has been little critical reflection on how lipid residues might (or might not) reflect dietary practices or subsistence strategies more generally. A combination of ethnoarchaeological research and chemical and isotopic analyses of lipid residues from pottery made and used by modern Samburu pastoralists in northern Kenya was undertaken to supplement the interpretive framework used in archaeological investigations. A total of 63 potsherds were collected from various contexts, including settlement sites and rockshelters, and analysed using gas chromatography (GC), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and gas chromatography-combustion-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC-C-IRMS). The results showed that the free fatty acids, palmitic (C 16:0 ) and stearic (C 18:0 ), dominated the lipid profiles, with extremely broad ranges of δ 13 C values. The majority of the Δ 13 C values from Samburu pots suggest that vessels were intensively used to process ruminant carcass products, yet the Samburu economy is not, in fact, meat-based at all. Despite an overall reliance on dairy products, milk is rarely processed in ceramic vessels, largely due to cultural prohibitions. Surprisingly, a number of vessels from one site, Naiborkeju Hill, were used to process dairy products. Compound-specific radiocarbon dating of lipids from these sherds suggests that this pottery originated from an earlier period, demonstrating a possible shift in ceramic use by pastoralist communities in this region over time. The overall conclusion is that lipid residues may not necessarily reflect, in a simple way, the day-to-day consumption or the perceived relative importance of different foodstuffs. In the Samburu case, lipid residues reflect the functional and ideological suitability of ceramics for processing only certain types of food (meat/fat/bones), despite an overall reliance on milk. These conclusions are important when considering the origins and development of African pastoralism, for example, as interpreted from the archaeological record.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pastoralist Foodways Recorded in Organic Residues from Pottery Vessels of Modern Communities in Samburu, Kenya

Dunne

Grillo

Casanova

et al. 2018

J Archaeol Method Theory

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Evershed et al (1991) found epicuticular leaf waxes from plants of the genus Brassica in vessel residues from a Late Saxon/ Medieval settlement. Cooking experiments later confirmed the utility of nonacosane, nonacosan-15-one and nonacosan-15-ol to indicate the preparation of leafy vegetables, such as turnip or cabbage (Charters et al 1997). Reber et al (2004) recently suggested n-dotriacontanol could serve as an effective biomarker for maize in vessel residues from sites located in Midwestern and Eastern North America.…”

Section: Using Lipid Distribution and Biomarkers To Identify Archaeolmentioning

confidence: 99%

Archaeological Data Recovery at Fish Creek Slough Site (41DL436)

Nickels¹

2015

ITA

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Fish Creek Slough site (41DL436) is a well stratified, multi-component, open campsite situated on an alluvial terrace on the west bank of Fish Creek in Dallas County, Texas. Discovered in 2005, the site contains an abundance of faunal material, charcoal, and burned clay within multiple, discrete stratified zones. The site was evaluated by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT ) as eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. Because the site was within the right-of-way for a planned road and bridge construction project, and as directed by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, TxDOT elected to undertake archaeological data recovery excavations to mitigate adverse effects to the site.In October of 2010, AmaTerra Environmental, Inc. conducted archaeological data recovery excavations at the site under TxDOT contract no. 579-09-SA006. Mechanical stripping was conducted within a 6 x 20-m trench in 3-5-cm cuts down to 200 centimeters below the modern ground surface and exposed 43 burned zones, other features, and artifact concentrations. In addition to 285 cubic meters of soil removed mechanically, an additional 17.75 cubic meters was excavated within 107 hand-dug units. Collected and analyzed items included more than 8,700 faunal specimens, 43 pieces of chipped stone, and 206 fire-cracked rocks. Samples were collected for macrobotanical, magnetic susceptibility, pH, carbon, and malacology, pollen, diatom, phytolith, and ostracod assays and selected specimens of fire-cracked rock were analyzed for the presence of starches and lipids.Thirty-nine radiocarbon dates accepted as valid helped define four discrete occupational components with the earliest occupation probably occurring as early as AD 1025, and the last occupation probably as late as AD 1865. Geoarchaeological analyses show that the stratigraphic sequence accumulated rapidly, separating and preserving the discrete occupations in good context. Analysis of the exceptionally robust and well-preserved faunal assemblage provides evidence for interpretation of change through time in social structure, site spatial occupations, and diet and subsistence. Of special note, within the occupation zones dating to the Protohistoric and Historic periods, metal cut marks on bone suggest an increased reliance on European-introduced technology.

show abstract

“…), Lors de la seconde étape du prélèvement à l'aide des solvants, il se dégageait des trois vases une très légère odeur camphrée et chaude. Pour cette raison, les extraits ont été analysés de deux façons diff érentes : ( i ) à l'état brut, en limitant l'étape d'évaporation des extraits à une simple concentration ; ( ii ) sous la forme d'extrait triméthylsilylé selon la méthode classique (Charters et al , 1997). Alors que la seconde méthode ne permet de détecter que des traces infi mes de camphre, l'analyse de l'extrait non dérivé met au jour une grande quantité de composés volatils, dont le camphre, très abondant, associé à d'autres monoterpènes (bornéol, isobornéol, α-campholénal, isocamphénone, 1,8-terpine, thymol).…”

Section: Résultatsunclassified

“…L'absence de stérols, marqueurs des huiles et des matières grasses animales qui se conservent particulièrement bien même dans des contextes humides ou lessivés (Volkman 1986 ;Garnier et al , 2011), oxiques ou anoxiques (Harvey et Macko, 1997) permet d'exclure l'usage de graisses et d'huiles. La source lipidique serait donc les cires végétales présentes à la surface des feuilles, des fruits et des fl eurs que l'on peut extraire par l'eau maintenue à ébullition (Charters et al ., 1997). Les cires se séparent du matériel végétal, surnagent et peuvent être ensuite utilisées pour l'extraction et le piégeage des principes odorants, au même titre que les graisses, les huiles ou la cire d'abeille.…”

Section: Cas Des Composés Aliphatiques à Longue Chaîne (N-alcanes N-unclassified

L’étude interdisciplinaire des parfums anciens au prisme de l’archéologie, la chimie et la botanique : l’exemple de contenus de vases en verre sur noyau d'argile (Sardaigne, vie-ive siècle av. J.-C.)

Frère¹,

Dodinet²,

Garnier³

2012

archeosciences

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

ArcheoSciences Revue d'archéométrie | 2012Varia L'étude interdisciplinaire des parfums anciens au prisme de l'archéologie, la chimie et la botanique : l'exemple de contenus de vases en verre sur noyau d'argile (Sardaigne, vie-ive siècle av. J.-C.)The interdisciplinary study of the ancient perfumes in the prism of the archaeology, the chemistry and the botany: the example of contents of glass vases (Sardinia,

show abstract

Simulation Experiments for Determining the Use of Ancient Pottery Vessels: the Behaviour of Epicuticular Leaf Wax During Boiling of a Leafy Vegetable

Cited by 131 publications

References 8 publications

Pastoralist Foodways Recorded in Organic Residues from Pottery Vessels of Modern Communities in Samburu, Kenya

Pastoralist Foodways Recorded in Organic Residues from Pottery Vessels of Modern Communities in Samburu, Kenya

Archaeological Data Recovery at Fish Creek Slough Site (41DL436)

L’étude interdisciplinaire des parfums anciens au prisme de l’archéologie, la chimie et la botanique : l’exemple de contenus de vases en verre sur noyau d'argile (Sardaigne, vie-ive siècle av. J.-C.)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About