"Human and Natural Processes Affecting Starch Grain Morphology in Archaeological Contexts".

Summary

Over the past decade an increasing number of archaeological starch grain studies have made important contributions to our understanding of prehistoric diets and subsistence strategies. The research has also generated a number of questions concerning the identification and interpretation of starch grain records from the Neotropics and elsewhere. Some of them involve possible modification of archaeological grains from cooking and grinding. Starch may also be susceptible to damage or degradation from natural processes such as heat, drying and fungi and enzymatic activity. We examined this issue systematically in manioc (Manihot esculenta), maize (Zea mays), squash (Cucurbita moschata) and beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) by describing and quantifying the natural structure and modifications of starch from fresh samples and samples air or sun dried before and after grinding. Our findings will lead to a better understanding of the human-induced and natural processes that contributed to the morphology of starch grains recovered from human teeth, grinding stones, and sediments.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• ‘Siempre a la Vanguardia’: A Tribute to Dolores Piperno Contributions to the Origins and Spread of Agriculture   •
• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage