Taphonomy and Negative Results: An Integrated Approach to Residue Analysis

Summary

Residue preservation within the matrices of artifacts is a complex process that can be better understood when multiple types of biomolecules (e.g., protein and fatty acid residues) are evaluated as part of a systematic whole. Commonly, types of residues are evaluated independently, which may relate to different types of biomolecules requiring distinctive methods for extraction and analysis. Thus, the archaeologist either encounters positive results (a hit for a particular residue, such as a protein) or not. If the result is positive, archaeologically meaningful conclusions are drawn. Negative results are dismissed. From a taphonomic perspective, however, and considering complexes of residue types as interacting systems, positive results are more meaningful when negative results can be explained. Consideration of multiple types of biomolecular residues as an interacting system allows better explanation of negative results, thus increasing confidence in conclusions drawn from positive results. We apply an integrative approach to studying organic residues from ceramic artifacts from the Dillard and Switchback Sites in southwestern Colorado using total organic carbon assays and mass spectrometry of proteins and fatty acids. Our protein results are better explained in light of fatty acid and total organic carbon analyses, which generally reflect severe weathering in these artifacts.

SAA 2015 abstracts made available in tDAR courtesy of the Society for American Archaeology and Center for Digital Antiquity Collaborative Program to improve digital data in archaeology. If you are the author of this presentation you may upload your paper, poster, presentation, or associated data (up to 3 files/30MB) for free. Please visit http://www.tdar.org/SAA2015 for instructions and more information.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage