A Gene Cluster Walks into a Jar: Forensic Analysis 16th -Century Spanish Olive Jars

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Plus Ultra: An examination of current research in Spanish Colonial/Iberian Underwater and Terrestrial Archaeology in the Western Hemisphere." , at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Excavations of the 16th-century Emanuel Point shipwrecks conducted by the University of West Florida, have recovered hundreds of olive jar sherds. Many of these sherds retain a diagnostic organic pine-resin interior coating, historically referred to in Spanish documents as “pez.” Pez was used to waterproof ceramic containers carrying liquids such as wine, oil, or water. Wonderfully preserved, analysis of this resin using palynological methods has revealed at least one vessel’s contents. Additional analysis utilizing modern forensic techniques currently applied in genetic research, may reveal the presence of DNA in the resin or sherd walls. Identification of remnant DNA may provide insight to contemporary conceptions of available natural resources and their influences on societies’ cultural and economic practices. Such forensic analysis may contribute to the reconstruction of sixteenth-century Iberian dietary practices including foodways manufacturing, preservation, and transportation. This paper will present the initial results of both palynological and DNA extraction attempts.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2020   •
• Plus Ultra: An examination of current research in Spanish Colonial/Iberian Underwater and Terrestrial Archaeology in the Western Hemisphere.

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 620