The Science of Organic Residue Analysis and the Art of Cultural Interpretation I
Part of: Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)
For those interested in the analysis of archaeological organic residues (biomolecular, micro-, and macroremains), our primary interest is in the development of public and professional presentations to bridge the gap between the science and the significance behind the data. Because many chemical and morphological methods are complex and unfamiliar to scientists and laypersons alike, explaining the rigor and the validity of the methodology often dominates the presentations. The cultural implications of the findings are oversimplified. We challenge researchers to create presentations that are suitable for the general audience, where the method and the interpretation are given equal weight. We encourage the use of creative, well-constructed, and easily understood visuals. We also welcome presentations that target specific age groups, such as high school and secondary education forums. The cultural interpretation should extend beyond the past and reach into the present – how well can a general audience understand the method and the meaning of the research? We hope that the papers produced for this session will be subsequently presented in academic and public forums. Our goal for this symposium is that it becomes an exercise in communication that increases the relevance of archaeological work and its accessibility to the public.
Other Keywords
organic residue analysis •
Archaeometry •
andes •
Ceramics •
Tobacco •
Diet •
Paleoethnobotany •
Use Wear •
Formation Processes •
Geochemistry
Geographic Keywords
North America (Continent) •
United States of America (Country) •
Georgia (State / Territory) •
Mississippi (State / Territory) •
Tennessee (State / Territory) •
North Carolina (State / Territory) •
South Carolina (State / Territory) •
Alabama (State / Territory) •
Florida (State / Territory) •
North America - Southeast
Resources Inside This Collection (Viewing 1-13 of 13)
- Documents (13)
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Absorbed Residue Evidence of Datura Use in Mississippian Contexts (2017)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
We recently identified residues indicative of the preparation of Datura in ceramic and shell vessels dating to the Mississippian period (900-1600 CE) of the southeastern United States in the collections of the Gilcrease Museum. Datura is a genus of flowering plants whose seeds and flowers contain tropane alkaloids that produce hallucinogenic effects when consumed by people. The use of Datura for a variety of medicinal ritual practices is well established among Native Americans today and in the...
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Animal Fats and Ancient Pyro Technologies in the North American Arctic: Contextualized Analysis of Lipids in Archaeological Sediments, Combustion Features, and Ceramics (2017)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
Processing and combustion of animal products including bone, fat, and oil for food and fuel was critical for human occupation of far northern latitudes. Remnant fats from these activities preserve exceptionally well in many Alaskan sites and various sources can be identified using standard techniques of lipid analysis. Combining lipid analysis with ethnographically informed experiments and high-resolution analysis of archaeological sediments, combustion features and ceramics, could help trace...
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Big Plans for Small Pots: Development of an Organic Residue Analysis Protocol for Ancient Wari Miniature Wares (2017)
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Excavations from the Monqachayaq sector of the site of Huari uncovered an impressive burial that contained over 300 miniature vessels. The vessels were offered by a people known as the Wari (c. A.D. 600 – 1100), an ancient culture thought to be responsible for one of the Andes first great empires. Even more remarkable, the vessels retained the desiccated remains of their contents. The anthropological insight that can be gained has direct implications for a better understanding of Wari practices...
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Cautious vs. Interesting: Cultural Interpretation of Absorbed Organic Pottery Residues (2017)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
Absorbed organic pottery analysis is a technically easy but interpretively difficult branch of archaeometry. Given the complex interaction between organic chemistry, pot use, pyrolytic effects, depositional effects, and modern contamination, it is often difficult to balance interpretations between appropriately cautious and culturally and anthropologically useful information. This issue is illustrated through the analysis and interpretation of a suite of absorbed organic pottery residues...
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Finding, Analyzing and Interpreting Organic Matter in Archaeology: A Complex Subject (2017)
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Reconstructing the history of organic matter in archaeological context presents a challenge. Organic chemical signatures are the consequence of complex natural and anthropic processes that must be decoded in order to understand their hypothetical significations. This task follows different epistemological, methodological, and practical choices and needs to integrate knowledge from different disciplines. As a consequence, the characterization of the different molecules is related to the original...
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Further Studies in Raman Spectroscopy of Fire-Cracked Rock (2017)
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Biomolecular organic residue analysis is an increasingly popular avenue of archaeological investigation. It is most frequently performed on pottery, though other substrates such as groundstone and chipped lithics are common. Recently, these methods have extended to fire-cracked rock (FCR). FCR features such as earth ovens are an excellent potential application: a) botanical evidence is not always preserved in the features and b) cracks that form in the FCR during the cooking process may protect...
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Inhaling Prehistory: Exploring the Smoking Culture of the Eastern Woodlands (2017)
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Pipes, pipe-smoked plants, and the tradition of smoking in the Eastern Woodlands of North America have long interested anthropologists and archaeologists because these artifacts and activities are viewed as material correlates of ritual, ceremonial, and religious activities. While pipes are regularly recovered from archaeological sites, the remains of plants materials that were smoked are far more difficult to recover. Traditionally, the identification of pipe-smoked plants, such as tobacco,...
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Interpreting Maya Economic Activity Using Paleoethnobotany (2017)
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Paleoethnobotany is a subfield of archaeology that requires an extensive knowledge of archaeology and botany. Because highly specialized skills are required, presenting data can be difficult. Botanical data must be conveyed in a way that is understood by fellow archaeologists while adhering to standards of botanists. Conveying this information becomes even more difficult when we begin to combine micro and macro botanical methods. Botanical datasets can contribute to a wide range of topics that...
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New Insights into Early Celtic Cooking and Drinking Practices: Organic Residue Analyses of Local and Imported Pottery (2017)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
Our research focuses on consumption practices, particularly on feasting in Early Iron Age Central Europe (7th-5th cent. BC). The aim is to integrate the cooking and drinking practices to complete our knowledge of Early Celtic societies. We try also to identify exchange networks linked to biomaterial exploitation and circulation. To conduct this study, organic residues of pottery from several Central European sites (in particular the Heuneburg and Vix - Mont Lassois) were analysed. A wide range...
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Organic Artefacts and Organic Residues in Island Southeast Asia and Australia: Seeking Intangible Behaviours in the Deep Past (2017)
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Exploring intangible behaviours—such as the decoration of oneself, or the manufacture of clothing or baskets— in the deep past is often beyond the reach of archaeologists. The microscopic examination of use wear and residues, however, allows researchers to gain significant insights into such ‘invisible’ behaviours. Organic artefacts recently excavated from sites located in both northern Australia and Timor-Leste (Island Southeast Asia) were microscopically examined for use wear and residues, and...
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Organic Residues in Archaeological Context: A Historic Overview (2017)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
Geoarchaeology is increasingly concerned with the analysis of perishable remains related to both the geological and archaeological components of a sediment matrix. Geological components range from measuring the age of 14 C to quantifying and classifying the organic content of an ancient soil, to identifying the source of organic materials in anaerobic (poorly drained) landscapes. More recently, organic matter studies have been applied to historic artifacts and the deposits in which they are...
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The Scientific Investigation and Cultural Implications for the Use of Prestigious Substances in the Ancient Mediterranean (2017)
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The role of organic residue analysis in archaeological research has shifted from an intermittent side project of interested analytical specialists to becoming standard components of an archaeological research program with a growing number of archaeologists being trained in both excavation and analytical instrumentation. Such developments within the field of archaeology not only highlight the benefits of applying a range of scientific techniques, but also expand the scope of archaeological...
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‘Stuck like Glue’: A Multi-method Analysis of Hafting Adhesives from Later Stone Age Assemblages in Southern Africa (2017)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
The characterization of hafting adhesives, the glue of composite tools, by chemical analysis and microscopy provides a means by which we may evaluate the organic components of technologies. In southern Africa, the well-preserved assemblages of the Later Stone Age (LSA) present a unique opportunity to evaluate the procured raw materials related to tool manufacture, with a focus on the ingredients of these plastic components. This paper presents the findings of a multi-site study of hafting...