Animal, Vegetable, Mineral? The Characterization of “Resins” Binding Composite Artifacts from the Northern Colorado Plateau

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Plant Exudates and Other Binders, Adhesives, and Coatings in the Americas" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Like many museums across the American West, the Utah State University Eastern Prehistoric Museum houses a collection containing well-preserved perishable objects. Many of these artifacts incorporate organic binders, such as hafted arrows and pitched containers. Yet scant attention has been given in the literature to the use of resins as the glue that held life together. Studies across the Southwest and beyond show a surprising diversity of binders, including insect lac and asphaltum as well as plant exudates, were used on artifacts. This presentation highlights work done to characterize the sources of these binders and to recover data that might reflect artifact use. Borne from an attempt to evaluate the presence of modern replicas or pastiches within private collections, this study involved plant harvesting and artifact replication experiments, visual and microchemical tests, and microscopic identification of trapped components. A secondary component of this study was the recovery of use-wear residue accumulated in the resinous matrix. The microscopic materials trapped in the patch of a ceramic cooking pot or hafted scraper can provide valuable insight into artifacts with limited provenience, shining new light on old collections.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Plant Exudates and Other Binders, Adhesives, and Coatings in the Americas   •
• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 33633