Using Modern Ostrich Eggshell to Establish a Color Alteration Index and Determine the Physical and Chemical Effects of Heat Exposure

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Animal Resources in Experimental Archaeology" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Ostrich eggshell (OES) is common in archaeological sites throughout Africa and Asia and is often recovered with evidence of pre- and postdepositional burning. The physical nature of OES protects some isotopic data that remain locked away in the crystalline shell matrix, allowing researchers to use these data thousands of years later to analyze mobility patterns, determine evidence of trade, and reconstruct paleoclimate. This project was designed to study the physical and chemical effects of heat exposure on OES to assist in understanding how exposure to heat effects the color as well as the isotopic values in both the mineral and organic portions of OES. To do this, we heated five modern ostrich eggs to 500°C in 50° increments and studied the carbon and nitrogen isotopes in the organic portion as well as the carbon and oxygen isotopes in the mineral portion in both the heated and unheated samples to record any differences in color and isotopic values. Preliminary results indicate significant deterioration of the isotopic signatures contained in the organic portion of shell heated to temperatures above 300°C, so a better understanding of this system is imperative to support successful sample selection that will generate more precise data.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Animal Resources in Experimental Archaeology   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 36912.0