What's cooking in the Indus Civilisation? Investigating Indus food through ceramic lipid residue analysis

Suryanarayan, Akshyeta

doi:10.17863/cam.50249

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“…While it is possible that non-ruminant animal resources were selectively processed in pots, it is also worth exploring alternative explanations for their predominance in the pottery vessels from northern Gujarat. Mixing models to investigate how mixtures of plant and animal products processed in ancient vessels can affect compound-specific isotope results have demonstrated that it can be challenging to interpret fatty acids isotopic results when plant and animal products are mixed in vessels, particularly from environments where both C 3 and C 4 plants are available (Hendy et al, 2018;Bondetti et al, 2020;Suryanarayan, 2020;Suryanarayan et al, 2021). Hendy et al (2018) showed that 13 Cvalues similar to non-ruminant fats can be created when vessels are used to process mixtures of ruminant adipose products and C 3 plants.…”

Section: Plant and Animal Ingredients In Vessels?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrating Lipid and Starch Grain Analyses From Pottery Vessels to Explore Prehistoric Foodways in Northern Gujarat, India

et al. 2022

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This study attempts a holistic approach to past foodways in prehistoric northern Gujarat, India, by considering evidence of food production, distribution, preparation and consumption. We present here the results of a pilot residue study, integrating lipid and starch grain analyses, conducted on 28 ceramic vessels from three Chalcolithic/Harappan settlements (c. 3300–2000 cal. BC) in northern Gujarat, which are discussed in the light of previous evidence of plant and animal acquisition and preparation strategies in this region. We aim to explore how the prehistoric inhabitants of northern Gujarat transformed ingredients into meals, focusing on how different foodstuffs were processed. When assessed on their own, the lipid and compound-specific isotopic data suggest that animal fats were primarily processed in ceramic vessels, specifically non-ruminant fats. However, lipid residue analysis favors the detection of fat-rich animal products and is often unable to disentangle signatures resulting from the mixing of plant and animal products. The incorporation of starch grain analyses provides evidence for the processing of a range of plants in the vessels, such as cereals, pulses and underground storage organs. Together, the results provide a holistic perspective on foodways and a way forward in overcoming preservational and interpretational limitations.

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