Microscopic Leftovers: Exploratory Starch Grain Analysis on Ceramic Vessels from the Shangshan Culture, China.

Summary

This paper will outline trends observed in pottery technology and dietary practices of the early Holocene Shangshan Culture (11,400 to 8400 cal. B.P.) in the lower Yangtze Valley, China. The Shangshan people produced some of the earliest known fine ware, and it is hypothesized that communities engaged in the low-level production of rice, which began the process of domesticating this crucial cereal. To date, the nature of pottery use and rice consumption at Shangshan sites remains partially understood, but with the application of residue analysis it is possible to examine the microscopic remains of storage and cooking vessels. Therefore, being currently explored, Shangshan pottery technology through the lens of culinary practices and diet using starch grain analysis has proven particularly useful in subsistence studies of poorly or rarely preserved species. In addition to evidence for rice consumption, we are interested in elaborating on the variety of plant species being processed, and if any patterns exist in the use of particular vessel types.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 17559