Thermally Modified Rock: The Experimental Study of “Fire-Cracked” Byproducts of Hot Rock Cooking

Graesch, Anthony P.; DiMare, Tianna; Schachner, Gregson; Schaepe, David M.; Dallen, John Jay

doi:10.2190/na.35.2.c

Cited by 19 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Those practices were developed over millennia in adaptive response to seasonal and annual fluctuations in resource availability typical of the Canadian Plateau northern temperate region. The regular use of fire is an obvious essential component of daily life including residential heating, food preservation, cooking, ceremonial activities 79 , and, as demonstrated here, thermal enhancement of raw materials used to produce paints. Two main types of hearths were commonplace: closed earth ovens and open cooking fires.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Hunter-Gatherers Harvested and Heated Microbial Biogenic Iron Oxides to Produce Rock Art Pigment

MacDonald

Stalla

et al. 2019

Sci Rep

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Red mineral pigment use is recognized as a fundamental component of a series of traits associated with human evolutionary development, social interaction, and behavioral complexity. Iron-enriched mineral deposits have been collected and prepared as pigment for use in rock art, personal adornment, and mortuary practices for millennia, yet little is known about early developments in mineral processing techniques in North America. Microanalysis of rock art pigments from the North American Pacific Northwest reveals a sophisticated use of iron oxide produced by the biomineralizing bacterium Leptothrix ochracea; a keystone species of chemolithotroph recognized in recent advances in the development of thermostable, colorfast biomaterial pigments. Here we show evidence for human engagement with this bacterium, including nanostructural and magnetic properties evident of thermal enhancement, indicating that controlled use of pyrotechnology was a key feature of how biogenic iron oxides were prepared into paint. Our results demonstrate that hunter-gatherers in this area of study prepared pigments by harvesting aquatic microbial iron mats dominated by iron-oxidizing bacteria, which were subsequently heated in large open hearths at a controlled range of 750 °C to 850 °C. This technical gesture was performed to enhance color properties, and increase colorfastness and resistance to degradation. This skilled production of highly thermostable and long-lasting rock art paint represents a specialized technological innovation. Our results contribute to a growing body of knowledge on historical-ecological resource use practices in the Pacific Northwest during the Late Holocene.Figshare link to figures: https://figshare.com/s/9392a0081632c20e9484.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Hunter-Gatherers Harvested and Heated Microbial Biogenic Iron Oxides to Produce Rock Art Pigment

MacDonald

Stalla

et al. 2019

Sci Rep

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“…All excavated deposits were dry-sieved with 3.2-mm (1/8") mesh, and all screen residue was retained for full laboratory sorting to ensure the recovery of a representative sample of small artifacts and animal remains (Graesch 2009). Large TMR fragments were counted and weighed prior to discard in the field (Graesch et al 2014).…”

Section: Field Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Welqámex (DiRi-15) was an island-based, Stó:lō-Coast Salish settlement ( Figure 3) occupied as early as A.D. 1300 and as recently as A.D. 1890 (Graesch 2006(Graesch , 2007(Graesch , 2009Graesch et al 2010Graesch et al , 2014. The settlement featured 12 in-ground architectural features, 10 of which were residential dwellings (or sqémél), as well as three or four on-ground structures (e.g., longhouses).…”

Section: Case Study: In-ground Dwellings At Welqámexmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Pocket Penetrometer

Graesch

Shankel

Schaepe³

2015

Adv. archaeol. pract.

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The identification of earthen house floors or living surfaces during archaeological field investigations can be hampered by the scale of excavation, variable fieldworker experiences, and any number of site formation processes. Furthermore, although time- and context-sensitive sampling protocols (e.g., those required of macrobotanical and microartifact data collection) rely on in-the-moment identifications of floors, strong empirical evidence for the presence of house floors often comes well after the field season has concluded. Pocket penetrometers—inexpensive instruments that measure the compaction strength of soil—can lend empirical support to decisions about sampling procedures during onsite investigations. In this study, we present findings from the analysis of 4,463 penetrometer readings recorded during the excavation of residential and non-residential architecture at Welqámex, a Stó:lō-Coast Salish settlement in southwestern British Columbia. We show how pocket penetrometer data reveal quantifiable differences in the compaction of floors and other cultural deposits. We argue that compaction measurements can provide an additional line of data (ratio scale) to affirm or challenge onsite interpretations of stratigraphy based on other tactile and observational data, particularly as such interpretations pertain to surfaces expected to have been exposed to recurrent foot traffic

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“…Many archaeologists interested in the different actions, ingredients, and tools involved in preparing food use experimental archaeology to learn more about different choices and steps in processes that may no longer be visible. Some researchers use experiments with food and tools to look for identifiable ways that certain food preparation techniques might be visible archaeologically (Carretero et al 2017;Capparelli et al 2015;Dezendorf 2013;Disspain et al 2016;Fernandes et al 2014;Graesch et al 2014;Gur-Arieh et al 2012;Hart et al 2007;Henry et al 2009;Müller et al 2013;Pecci et al 2013;Raviele 2011;Simms et al 2013;Thoms 2008;Warinner and Tuross 2009). For example, Morrison et al (2015) combined experimental archaeology with ceramic analysis and archaeological, zooarchaeological, ecological, and ethnographic data.…”

Section: Experimental Archaeologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Archaeological Studies of Cooking and Food Preparation

Graff

2017

J Archaeol Res

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Foodways have been a component of archaeological research for decades. However, cooking and food preparation, as specific acts that could reveal social information about life beyond the kitchen, only became a focus of archaeological inquiry more recently. A review of the literature on cooking and food preparation reveals a shift from previous studies on subsistence strategies, consumption, and feasting. The new research is different because of the social questions that are asked, the change in focus to preparation and production rather than consumption, and the interest in highlighting marginalized people and their daily experiences. The theoretical perspectives the literature addresses revolve around practice, agency, and gender. As a result, this new focus of archaeological research on cooking and preparing food is grounded in anthropology.

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Thermally Modified Rock: The Experimental Study of “Fire-Cracked” Byproducts of Hot Rock Cooking

Cited by 19 publications

References 32 publications

Hunter-Gatherers Harvested and Heated Microbial Biogenic Iron Oxides to Produce Rock Art Pigment

Hunter-Gatherers Harvested and Heated Microbial Biogenic Iron Oxides to Produce Rock Art Pigment

The Pocket Penetrometer

Archaeological Studies of Cooking and Food Preparation

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