Stew or Steak: The Recovery and Interpretation of Chemical Profiles from Meaty Products in Pottery

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2025: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Subsistence and foodways have been the focus of many archaeological studies because both are part of the most intimate of day-to-day life. Particularly, the study of meaty foods provides information about social status and differentiated access. In this sense, chemical residues are indicators that help us understand ancient diets, as well as social and ecological relationships. Nonetheless, the analysis of chemical residues has interpretative as well as cost limitations for many archaeologists. This is why we designed an experimental study to evaluate diagenetic processes, chemical interactions, and methodological issues with the ultimate goal of better understanding the record of archaeological residues. We cooked chicken, turkey, catfish, dogfish, and mussels in contemporary pottery. Samples were taken from the base, body, and rims, and analyzed via pH, phosphate, fatty acid, protein, and nitrite tests. In our archaeological study, jars from domestic contexts were analyzed for protein residues. The corresponding results present several interpretative challenges when approaching the question of jar contents. Our experimental study demonstrates that differences in protein concentrations could be related to both the quantity and quality of processed meat. Hence, additional experimental work is required to better elucidate the meaty contents of archaeological pottery.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• SAA 2025: Individual Abstracts

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 51891