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Lundy J, Drieu L, Orecchioni P, Meo A, Aniceti V, Fiorentino G, Primavera M, Talbot H, Molinari A, Carver MOH, Craig OE. Cuisine in transition? Organic residue analysis of domestic containers from 9th-14th century Sicily. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:221305. [PMID: 36908986 PMCID: PMC9993051 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.221305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
From the 9th to 14th centuries AD, Sicily experienced a series of rapid and quite radical changes in political regime, but the impact of these regime changes on the lives of the people that experienced them remains largely elusive within the historical narrative. We use a multi-faceted lipid residue approach to give direct chemical evidence of the use of 248 everyday domestic ceramic containers from Islamic and post-Islamic contexts in western Sicily to aid our understanding of daily habits throughout this period of political change. A range of commodities was successfully identified, including animal fats, vegetable products, fruit products (potentially including wine) and plant resins. The study highlights the complexity of residues in early medieval Mediterranean society as, in many cases, mixtures of commodities were observed reflecting sequential cooking events and/or the complex mixtures reflective of medieval recipes. However, overall, there were no clear changes in the composition of the residues following the imposition of Norman control over the island and through subsequent periods, despite some differences between urban centres and rural sites. Thus, lending to the idea that post-Islamic populations largely flourished and benefited from the agricultural systems, resources and recipes left by their predecessors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasmine Lundy
- Department of Archaeology, BioArCh, University of York, York YO10 5ND, UK
| | - Lea Drieu
- Department of Archaeology, BioArCh, University of York, York YO10 5ND, UK
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, CEPAM, Nice UMR 7264, France
| | - Paola Orecchioni
- Dipartimento di Storia, Patrimonio Culturale, Formazione e Società, Università degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata, Rome 00133, Italy
| | - Antonino Meo
- Dipartimento di Storia, Patrimonio Culturale, Formazione e Società, Università degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata, Rome 00133, Italy
| | - Veronica Aniceti
- ’Antonino Sallinas’, Regional Archaeological Museum of Palermo, Palermo 90133, Italy
- Department of Natural History, University Museum of Bergen, Bergen 5007, Norway
| | - Girolamo Fiorentino
- Laboratory of Archaeobotany and Palaeoecology, Università del Salento, Lecce 73100, Italy
| | - Milena Primavera
- Laboratory of Archaeobotany and Palaeoecology, Università del Salento, Lecce 73100, Italy
| | - Helen Talbot
- Department of Archaeology, BioArCh, University of York, York YO10 5ND, UK
| | - Alessandra Molinari
- Dipartimento di Storia, Patrimonio Culturale, Formazione e Società, Università degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata, Rome 00133, Italy
| | | | - Oliver E. Craig
- Department of Archaeology, BioArCh, University of York, York YO10 5ND, UK
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Ferrara V, Ingemark D. The Entangled Phenology of the Olive Tree: A Compiled Ecological Calendar of Olea Europaea L. Over the Last Three Millennia With Sicily as a Case Study. GEOHEALTH 2023; 7:e2022GH000619. [PMID: 36911576 PMCID: PMC9993138 DOI: 10.1029/2022gh000619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Seasonal cycles in plants and animals drive key timings of human practices in an agrosystem like the best time for harvest, planting, or pruning. Within the framework of historical phenological studies, we attempt a reconstruction of the olive (Olea europaea L.) phenology along millennia. Thanks to its extraordinary longevity, the olive tree is a living proxy from the past and embodies a still uncollected long-term memory of ecological behaviors. A cultural keystone species, olive cultivation has more and more played a crucial role for biodiversity conservation, livelihood of rural communities and their enrooted cultural identity in the whole Mediterranean. By compiling traditional phenological knowledge from historical written sources and oral traditions, and using it as historical bio-indicator of the linkage between human ecological practices and seasonal changes of plant behavior, we compiled a monthly ecological calendar of the olive tree covering the last ∼2800 years. As a case study, we chose a special place: Sicily, unique for its position in the Mediterranean, geomorphology and legacies in the form of cross-temporal accumulated eco-cultures. Such a sui generis ecological calendar provides an additional case study to explore the intertwining of plant behavior and human adaptation strategies and the interplay between cultural diversity, ecological disturbance and phenological stability. All of this, in turn, can inform action for the present and future sustainable management of these millennial trees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincenza Ferrara
- Department of Archaeology and Ancient HistoryUppsala UniversityUppsalaSweden
- Department of Human GeographyStockholm UniversityStockholmSweden
| | - Dominic Ingemark
- Department of Archaeology and Ancient HistoryUppsala UniversityUppsalaSweden
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Evans M, Lundy J, Lucquin A, Hagan R, Kowalski Ł, Wilczyńki J, Bickle P, Adamczak K, Craig OE, Robson HK, Hendy J. Detection of dairy products from multiple taxa in Late Neolithic pottery from Poland: an integrated biomolecular approach. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:230124. [PMID: 36938542 PMCID: PMC10014250 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.230124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The detection of dairy processing is pivotal to our understanding of ancient subsistence strategies. This culinary process is linked to key arguments surrounding the evolution of lactase persistence in prehistory. Despite extensive evidence indicating the presence of dairy products in ceramics in the European Neolithic, questions remain about the nature and extent of milk (and lactose) processing and consumption. In order to investigate past patterns of dairy processing, here we analyse ancient proteins identified from Late Neolithic Funnel Beaker ceramics, scrutinizing the principle that curd and whey proteins partition during the production of dairy foods from milk. Our results indicate the presence of casein-rich dairy products in these vessels suggesting the creation of curd-enriched products from raw milk. Moreover, this analysis reveals the use of multiple species for their dairy products in the Late Neolithic, adding to a growing body of evidence for the period. Alongside palaeoproteomic analysis, we applied well-established lipid residue analysis. Differential interpretations between these two approaches show that palaeoproteomics is especially useful where the effects from isotope mixing may underestimate the frequency of dairy products in archaeological ceramics, highlighting the potential utility of a multi-stranded approach to understand life histories of vessel use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miranda Evans
- Department of Archaeology, University of York, Heslington YO10 5DD, UK
- Department of Archaeology, The University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3DZ, UK
| | - Jasmine Lundy
- Department of Archaeology, University of York, Heslington YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Alexandre Lucquin
- Department of Archaeology, University of York, Heslington YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Richard Hagan
- Department of Archaeology, University of York, Heslington YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Łukasz Kowalski
- Institute of Archaeology, Centre for Applied Archaeology, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Szosa Bydgoska 44/48, 87-100 Toruń, Poland
| | - Jarosław Wilczyńki
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences, Sławkowska 17, 31-016 Kraków, Poland
| | - Penny Bickle
- Department of Archaeology, University of York, Heslington YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Kamil Adamczak
- Institute of Archaeology, Centre for Applied Archaeology, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Szosa Bydgoska 44/48, 87-100 Toruń, Poland
| | - Oliver E. Craig
- Department of Archaeology, University of York, Heslington YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Harry K. Robson
- Department of Archaeology, University of York, Heslington YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Jessica Hendy
- Department of Archaeology, University of York, Heslington YO10 5DD, UK
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Irto A, Micalizzi G, Bretti C, Chiaia V, Mondello L, Cardiano P. Lipids in Archaeological Pottery: A Review on Their Sampling and Extraction Techniques. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27113451. [PMID: 35684389 PMCID: PMC9182108 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27113451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Revised: 05/21/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Several studies have been performed so far for the effective recovery, detection and quantification of specific compounds and their degradation products in archaeological materials. According to the literature, lipid molecules are the most durable and widespread biomarkers in ancient pottery. Artificial ageing studies to simulate lipid alterations over time have been reported. In this review, specific lipid archaeological biomarkers and well-established sampling and extraction methodologies are discussed. Although suitable analytical techniques have unraveled archaeological questions, some issues remain open such as the need to introduce innovative and miniaturized protocols to avoid extractions with organic solvents, which are often laborious and non-environmentally friendly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Irto
- Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, 98168 Messina, Italy; (C.B.); (V.C.); (L.M.); (P.C.)
- Correspondence: (A.I.); (G.M.)
| | - Giuseppe Micalizzi
- Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, 98168 Messina, Italy; (C.B.); (V.C.); (L.M.); (P.C.)
- Correspondence: (A.I.); (G.M.)
| | - Clemente Bretti
- Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, 98168 Messina, Italy; (C.B.); (V.C.); (L.M.); (P.C.)
| | - Valentina Chiaia
- Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, 98168 Messina, Italy; (C.B.); (V.C.); (L.M.); (P.C.)
| | - Luigi Mondello
- Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, 98168 Messina, Italy; (C.B.); (V.C.); (L.M.); (P.C.)
- Chromaleont s.r.l., c/o Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, 98168 Messina, Italy
- Unit of Food Science and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, University Campus Bio-Medico of Rome, 00128 Rome, Italy
| | - Paola Cardiano
- Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, 98168 Messina, Italy; (C.B.); (V.C.); (L.M.); (P.C.)
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