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Residue

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Understanding Pottery Function

Part of the book series: Manuals in Archaeological Method, Theory and Technique ((MATT))

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Abstract

Of the three use-alteration traces discussed in this book, the analysis of organic residue has received by far the most attention. There have been many applications, publications, research grants, and now even commercial labs performing the analysis. When I began the study of organic residues only a handful of researchers had attempted it with pottery (e.g., Condamin et al. 1976; Deal 1990; Deal and Silk 1988; Heron et al. 1991a, b; Hill and Evans 1989; Marchbanks 1989; Patrick et al. 1985; Rottländer 1990) with only moderate degrees of success. The many unanswered questions about the technique precluded it from becoming routine in ceramic analysis. How do organic residues survive in the depositional environment? Do organics in the soil migrate into buried pots and contaminate the sample? For cooking pots, how does heat alter the deposited residues? Which residues should be analyzed? Once residues are identified, are comparative collections available that would make accurate identifications possible? And finally, what are the best methods of extraction and analysis?

The field of organic residue analysis archaeology has witnessed spectacular developments in recent years, and there is now a well-developed understanding of where residues survive at archaeological sites and an appreciation of the major classes of biomarker likely to be encountered. (Evershed 2008, p. 915)

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  1. Anthropology Program, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, USA

    James M. Skibo

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  1. James M. Skibo
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  2. Mary Malainey
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Skibo, J.M., Malainey, M. (2013). Residue. In: Understanding Pottery Function. Manuals in Archaeological Method, Theory and Technique. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4199-1_5

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