Ancient Residues Indicate Prehistoric Subsistence and Culinary Practices in the Korean Peninsula during the Middle Holocene

Summary

This study attempts to understand ancient human subsistence using isotope analysis on the organic residues extracted from the archaeological potsherds collected from prehistoric coastal shell midden sites in the southern part of the Korean peninsula. In Korean archaeology, shell middens are useful for isotope analysis because they provide suitable condition in terms of organic preservation. To date, the subsistence of these prehistoric coastal and island dwellers remains poorly known. However, this may be addressed through the study of ceramic containers, which were often used for culinary practices, by extracting organic residues of the foodstuffs that remain on the interior wall or inside of the clay matrix. Carbon isotope analysis on those residues provides an opportunity to understand ancient human subsistence strategies in the region.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Island Archaeology in East Asian Perspectives   •
• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 15759