Chemical residues as anthropic activity markers. Food production and consumption

Summary

When activities are carried on, the substances used and/or produced during the activities are poured onto the on floors and absorbed by them. Specific analyses can be performed to identify the chemical residues absorbed in porous materials, like plastered and earthen floors. As these residues are strictly related to the activities carried on, and reflect their spatial distribution, they can be considered "anthropic activity markers". A methodological approach concerning the understanding of the markers of activities related with food production and consumption will be presented pointing out the advantages and problems of the use of spot tests and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to detect and identify organic compounds. Experimental, ethno-archaeological and archaeological examples from different sites in the world will be shown.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Anthropic activity markers: archaeology and ethnoarchaeology   •
• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

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