From General to Specific: Targeting Freshwater Resources in Pottery Residues Using Compound-Specific Isotope Analysis

Author(s): Eleanora Reber

Year: 2018

Summary

Direct detection of resources processed in pottery by means of the chemical analysis of absorbed pottery residues is a valuable technique, but identifying specific resources in pottery residues is tricky and problematic. This is due to issues with resource mixing from multiple uses of pottery, as well as the relative rarity of biomarkers unique to specific resources. Advances in compound-specific isotope analysis permit identification of isotopically distinct resources in residues, such as C4 plants in a C3 environment or marine resources. Can compound-specific isotope analysis be applied to the identification of freshwater resources in pottery residues? This study investigates modern freshwater resources and experimentally produced residues to address this question.

Cite this Record

From General to Specific: Targeting Freshwater Resources in Pottery Residues Using Compound-Specific Isotope Analysis. Eleanora Reber. Presented at The 82nd Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Washington, DC. 2018 ( tDAR id: 442817)

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Spatial Coverage

min long: -93.735; min lat: 24.847 ; max long: -73.389; max lat: 39.572 ;

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 22148