Abstract
Food-related residues appear in a variety of contexts, including flaked and ground stone tools, thermally altered rock, and even in the teeth of the deceased. Examples of different approaches that can be taken for the analysis of these residues are presented, including fatty acid analysis, identification of possible biomarkers and techniques that can identify both the inorganic and organic components in the residue. The analysis of lipid residues is described in Chapter 14.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Buonasera, Tammy 2005 Fatty Acid Analysis of Prehistoric Burned Rocks: A Case Study from Central California. Journal of Archaeological Science 32(6):957–965.
Malainey, M. E., R. Przybylski, and B. L. Sherriff 1999a The Effects of Thermal and Oxidative Decomposition on the Fatty Acid Composition of Food Plants and Animals of Western Canada: Implications for the Identification of Archaeological Vessel Residues. Journal of Archaeological Science 26(1):95–103. 1999b The Fatty Acid Composition of Native Food Plants and Animals of Western Canada. Journal of Archaeological Science 26(1):83–94. 1999c Identifying the Former Contents of Late Precontact Period Pottery Vessels from Western Canada using Gas Chromatography. Journal of Archaeological Science 26(4):425–438. 2001 One Person's Food: How and Why Fish Avoidance May Affect the Settlement and Subsistence Patterns of Hunter-Gatherers. American Antiquity 66(1):141–161.
Oxenham, Marc F., Cornelia Locher, Nguyen L. Cuong, and Nguyen K. Thuy 2002 Identification of Areca catechu (Betel Nut) Residues on the Dentitions of Bronze Age Inhabitants of Nui Nap, Northern Vietnam. Journal of Archaeological Science 29(9):909–915.
Nelson, D. E. 1993 Second Thoughts on a Rock-Art Date. Antiquity 67(257):893–895.
Shanks, Orin C., Marcel Kornfeld, and Dee D. Hawk 1999 Protein Analysis of Bugas-Holding Tools: New Trends in Immunological Studies. Journal of Archaeological Science 26(9):1183–1191.
Quigg, J. M., M. E. Malainey, R. Przybylski, and G. Monks 2001 No Bones About It: Using Lipid Analysis of Burned Rock and Groundstone Residues to Examine Late Archaic Subsistence Practices in South Texas. Plains Anthropologist 46(177):283–303.
Loy, Thomas H., and E. J. Dixon 1998 Blood Residues on Fluted Points from Eastern Beringia. American Antiquity 63(1):21–46.
Loy, Thomas H. 1983 Prehistoric Blood Residues: Detection on Tool Surfaces and Identification of Species of Origin. Science 220(4603):1269–1271. 1993 The Artifact as Site: An Example of the Biomolecular Analysis of Organic Residues on Prehistoric Tools. World Archaeology 25(1):44–63. 1994 Residue Analysis of Artifacts and Burned Rock from the Mustang Branch and Barton Sites (41HY209 and 41HY202. In Archaic and Late Prehistoric Human Ecology in the Middle Onion Creek Valley, Hays County, Texas. Volume 2: Topical Studies edited by R. A. Ricklis and M. B. Collins, pp. 607–627. University of Texas at Austin, Austin Texas.
Marchbanks, Michael L. 1989 Lipid Analysis in Archaeology: An Initial Study of Ceramics and Subsistence at the George C. Davis Site. Unpublished Master’s thesis, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX.
Leach, Jeff D. 1998 A Brief Comment on the Immunological Identification of Plant Residues on Prehistoric Stone Tools and Ceramics: Results of a Blind Test. Journal of Archaeological Science 25(2):171–175.
Shanks, Orin C., Larry Hodges, Lucas Tilley, Marcel Kornfeld, Mary Lou Larson, and Walt Ream 2005 DNA from Ancient Stone Tools and Bones Excavated at Bugas-Holding, Wyoming. Journal of Archaeological Science 32(1):27–38.
Barnard, H., S. H. Ambrose, D. E. Beehr, M. D. Forster, R. E. Lanehart, M. E. Malainey, R. E. Parr, M. Rider, C. Solazzo, and R. M. Yohe 2007 Mixed Results of Seven Methods for Organic Residue Analysis Applied to One Vessel with the Residue of a Known Foodstuff. Journal of Archaeological Science 34(1):28–37.
Babot, M. D. P., and Maria C. Apella 2003 Maize and Bone: Residues of Grinding in Northwestern Argentina. Archaeometry 45(1):121–132.
Yohe II, Robert M., Margaret E. Newman, and Joan S. Schneider 1991 Immunological Identification of Small-Mammal Proteins on Aboriginal Milling Equipment. American Antiquity 56(4):659–666.
Leach, Jeff D., and Raymond P. Mauldin 1995 Additional Comments on Blood Residue Analysis in Archaeology. Antiquity 69(266):1020–1022.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Malainey, M.E. (2011). Other Food-Related Residues. In: A Consumer's Guide to Archaeological Science. Manuals in Archaeological Method, Theory and Technique. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-5704-7_22
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-5704-7_22
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-5703-0
Online ISBN: 978-1-4419-5704-7
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawSocial Sciences (R0)