Molecular and Compound-Specific Stable Isotope Analysis of FAMEs on Charred Plant Tissues: A Comparative Approach of Experimental and Archaeological Evidence

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Charred Organic Matter in the Archaeological Sedimentary Record" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

GC-C-IRMS analysis of FAMEs has been used successfully to distinguish among different animal fat groups. However, plant oils from different tissues (with the exception of seeds) have not been widely investigated even though organic residues from leaf, root, and wood tissues are preserved at archaeological sites (e.g. sediments from combustion structures). By applying molecular and compound-specific stable isotope analysis to different anatomical parts of modern and fresh plants, to charred plant tissues in controlled laboratory heating sequences, and to sediment from experimental fires, we infer aspects related to the temperature of combustion and biomass burning. This information is compared with charred organic residues from combustion structures from two Middle Palaeolithic sites: El Salt (Spain) and Crvena Stijena (Montenegro), providing valuable information related to combustion substrates and combustion residues.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Charred Organic Matter in the Archaeological Sedimentary Record   •
• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 25484