Starch grain evidence reveals early pottery function cooking plant foods in North China

Yang, Xiaoyan; Ma, Zhikun; Wang, Tao; Perry, Linda; Li, Quan; Huan, Xiujia; Yu, Jincheng

doi:10.1007/s11434-014-0500-6

Cited by 33 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Details of the starch grains extracted from the dust sample have been presented previously (Yang et al, , 2014(Yang et al, , 2015. A solution of 6% H 2 O 2 was added to the dust to release any starch grains and to oxidize any extraneous organic material.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…When using ancient starch grains from residues on artefacts to analyse their functions and the utilization of plants by ancient humans, the common practice is to collect the dust in the storeroom where the artefacts are curated Yang et al, 2012aYang et al, , 2014Yang et al, , 2015, residues from both the used and unused surface of the artefacts, and nearby sedimentary samples (deposits in immediate proximity to the artefacts) to control contamination (Barton, 2007). In this experiment, no starches were recovered from the dust in the storeroom, indicating that the residues on the grinding tools were not contaminated from this source.…”

Section: Contamination Control In the Analysis Of Ancient Starchmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Early millet use in West Liaohe area during early-middle Holocene

Yang

Zhang

et al. 2016

Sci. China Earth Sci.

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It is generally recognized that millet agriculture originated in northern China. However, the domestication process of foxtail millet (Setaria italica) and broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum) is still poorly understood. Based on statistical and morphological analyses of ancient millet starch grains, a tangible hypothesis has been proposed for the long-term domestication of green foxtail millet (S. viridis). However, the hypothesis requires validation by evidence from more regions and more archaeological finds. The West Liaohe region is one of the earliest regions of millet cultivation. Here, we report ancient starch grains recovered from 12 stone grinding tools from eight sites of the Xiaohexi culture (before 8.5 ka BP), Xinglongwa culture (8.2-7.4 ka BP), Zhaobaogou culture (7.0-6.4 ka BP), and Hongshan culture (6.5-5.0 ka BP) in the West Liaohe region of China. Our results indicate that the proportion of millet starch grains with wrinkled surfaces and rough edges, which are diagnostic of wild millet grasses, decreased from 13.0% to 3.4% from the Xiaohexi culture to the Hongshan culture. Millet starch grains measuring >16.8 m, a size class recorded only in domesticated foxtail millet, increased from 55.0% to 62.1%. These millet data imply that the process of millet domestication in the West Liaohe region began in the Xiaohexi period and continued up to the Hongshan period.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Contamination Control In the Analysis Of Ancient Starchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early millet use in West Liaohe area during early-middle Holocene

Yang

Zhang

et al. 2016

Sci. China Earth Sci.

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“…Radiocarbon dating of charcoal, nutshell, and organic sediment collected from the cultural deposits revealed that the site was occupied more than 10,000 cal BP [11]. Three excavations in 1992, 1995, and 1996 uncovered cultural deposits that measure between 0.8 and 1.0 m in thickness, and over 18,000 stone tools, including microblades, ground slabs, mullers, and stone containers were recovered [27].…”

Section: Sediments From the Archaeological Sites Of Nanzhuangtou And mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One of the most prominent archaeobotanical methods of analyzing plant microremains is starch grain analysis, used increasingly since the 1980s, especially in the Americas [4][5][6][7], Oceania [8], and East Asia [9][10][11][12][13]. Using the morphological characteristics of modern starch grains, researchers compare, identify, and both quantitatively and qualitatively analyze the ancient starch grains recovered from sediments, stone tools, pottery, and dental calculus.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Using the morphological characteristics of modern starch grains, researchers compare, identify, and both quantitatively and qualitatively analyze the ancient starch grains recovered from sediments, stone tools, pottery, and dental calculus. These achievements have improved our understanding of ancient plant use and clarified the functions of plant-related implements [4][5][6][7][9][10][11][14][15][16][17].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Understanding the Possible Contamination of Ancient Starch Residues by Adjacent Sediments and Modern Plants in Northern China

Zhang

Quan

et al. 2017

Sustainability

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Abstract:The potential contamination of ancient residues from both modern plant sources and sediments adjacent to archaeological contexts can complicate interpretation in the field of starch grain analysis, thus affecting the sustainable use of the method in archaeobotany. In this study, we examined two potential sources of contamination at a wheat field in Shandong Province and a maize field in Beijing, the Nanzhuangtou site in Hebei Province and the Zhuannian site in Beijing in Northern China. Surface soils from active farmland and its surrounds, as well as deposits from clearly-defined cultural layers, overlying layers, and underlayers at the archaeological sites were subjected to starch grain analysis. No starches were recovered from any of the 16 surface soil samples from fields of wheat and maize, or their environs. This outcome indicates that starches do not preserve well in active surface soils. Further results from the analysis of 33 samples from the two sites demonstrate that starches do not occur in either the overlying layers or underlayers of cultural deposits. Thus, starch grains extracted from the surface residues of artifacts were not deposited from adjacent sediments after the artifacts were abandoned or buried. Further, cultural sediments contained fewer starch grains than the surfaces of artifacts in the same horizon. Thus, if any starch grains on the surfaces of tools are the result of contamination, ancient cultural sediments are the primary source. In conclusion, we offer insights for the prevention of misinterpretation of extraneous residues and sustainable development for the use of starch grain analysis.

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From Storage to Disposal: a Holistic Microbotanical Approach to Domestic Plant Preparation and Consumption Activities in Late Minoan Gypsades, Crete

García-Granero

Hatzaki

Tsafou

et al. 2020

J Archaeol Method Theory

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The analysis of microbotanical remains (starch grains and phytoliths) from food-related domestic contexts and artefacts has the potential to provide insights into daily plant preparation and consumption activities. In particular, pottery vessels offer an unparalleled comparative framework for the study of food preparation and consumption, since pottery is used for a variety of domestic food-related activities, including storage, processing and serving. This study illustrates the potential of microbotanical remains to provide a holistic approach to the plant food preparation and consumption cyclefrom storage to disposal-through the analysis of starch grains and phytoliths from Late Minoan storage, cooking and serving vessels recently uncovered at the Knossian 'neighbourhood' of Lower Gypsades. The results show that starch grains and phytoliths are more abundant and diverse in cooking vessels, presumably reflecting a higher deposition of microbotanical remains as a result of the disturbance caused by cooking. The results further offer insights into Minoan storage and cooking practices at Gypsades, suggesting that cereals were stored de-husked in pithoi and, possibly, in palm leaf baskets, and later cooked together with non-staple plants. The virtual absence of microbotanical remains from serving vessels may be due to depositional factors and/ or the fact that some of the vessels analysed in this study were used for serving/ consuming liquids or animal products, and not plants.

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Starch grain evidence reveals early pottery function cooking plant foods in North China

Cited by 33 publications

References 17 publications

Early millet use in West Liaohe area during early-middle Holocene

Early millet use in West Liaohe area during early-middle Holocene

Understanding the Possible Contamination of Ancient Starch Residues by Adjacent Sediments and Modern Plants in Northern China

From Storage to Disposal: a Holistic Microbotanical Approach to Domestic Plant Preparation and Consumption Activities in Late Minoan Gypsades, Crete

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