Alessandra Pecci

Excavating the Roman peasant II: excavations at Case Nuove, Cinigiano (GR)

This report details the survey, excavations and materials analysis carried out at Case Nuove (GR) in Tuscany, a site identified by surface survey as a possible rural house, but which excavation and materials analysis suggest was a small-scale agro-processing point of late Republican date. Through accompanying analysis of pollen and land-use data, the article considers the problems this type of site — the stand-alone agro-processing point — presents for interpretations of the Roman landscape.

LOS RESIDUOS QUÍMICOS. INDICADORES ARQUEOLÓGICOS PARA ENTENDER LA PRODUCCIÓN, PREPARACIÓN, CONSUMO Y ALMACENAMIENTO DE ALIMENTOS EN MESOAMÉRICA

La alimentacion es uno de los temas que recientemente ha merecido mayor atencion en el medio antropologico. El trabajo aqui presentado propone una nueva forma de aproximarse al estudio de la alimentacion en el pasado. Esto es a partir de un indicador que resulta invi-sible e intangible ya que se aprovecha la informacion proporcionada por los residuos quimicos atrapados y preservados en los poros de materiales como los pisos y las ceramicas. Para poder interpretar esta informacion se hace necesario contar con datos de referencia acumulados a partir de estudios etnoarqueologicos y de experimentos en el laboratorio bajo condiciones controladas. El trabajo realizado en las ultimas tres decadas permite ahora aproximarnos al estudio de los espacios arquitectonicos utilizados para preparar los alimentos, a la identificacion de los recipientes utilizados para su almacenamiento o preparacion y en ocasiones a la identificacion de sustancias remanentes de los alimentos originales.

Almost ten years of plasters residue analysis in Italy: activity areas and the function of structures

Plasters are porous materials that absorb the substances with which they come into contact. When activities are carried out on floors, the substances used and produced by the activities are poured onto them and absorbed. The chemical analysis of the residues preserved in plastered archaeological floors can therefore provide information on the use of space and the function of structures. In this paper we show a synthesis of the results of the analyses of Roman and Medieval buildings with plastered floors found in Italy, which allowed to identify the traces of different activities such as food production, preparation and consumption, as well as toilet activities. Spot tests aimed at identifying the presence of phosphates, fatty acids and protein residues have been used to analyse the plaster samples. The results were plotted in a GIS environment and maps were generated to understand the distribution of the chemical residues. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) has been carried out on specific samples to better identify the organic residues.

Wood exploitation and food supply at the border of the Roman Empire: the case of the vicus of Thamusida – Sidi Ali ben Ahmed (Morocco)

This paper presents the results of inter-disciplinary work drawing on archaeobotanical and archaeometric studies to trace the agroforestry landscape and the supply economy at the vicus of Thamusida in north-west Morocco at the border of the Roman Empire. The available data indicate the self-sufficiency of the settlement in both forestry and agricultural products throughout the period investigated from the end of the 1st century BC to the beginning of the 4th century AD. Charcoal data testify to the presence of a Quercus suber forest in the close surroundings of the site and its exploitation for a variety of forestry products such as timber, fuelwood, cork, and probably also leaves and acorns to feed livestock. The overwhelming presence of Q. suber in the archaeological layer investigated clearly indicates that this forest was under human influence prior to Roman occupation and was already partially degraded. Charred seed and fruit remains suggest that the diet of both troops and civilians was mainly based on locally grown products and that all the inhabitants of the site had access to good cereals such as barley, naked wheats and pulses with large seeds such as horse bean and pea; quality fruits, such as olive and grape, were also produced locally for fresh consumption. Organic residue analyses of the contents of ceramic vessels and plastered vats allowed archaeobotanical data to be complemented, thereby shedding light on some of the imports at Thamusida. Despite the remote location of this settlement, imported goods such as oil and wine were transported here in amphorae from different parts of the Empire.

Multiproxy approach to the study of Medieval food habits in Tuscany (central Italy)

A multiproxy approach based on archaeobotanical, organic residue and isotopic analyses was carried out on materials from 12 Medieval archaeological sites in Tuscany (central Italy), in order to provide a diachronic overview of local diet in rural and urban sites from the mid-eighth to the fourteenth centuries AD. Archaeobotanical analyses were applied to 130,578 seeds/fruits, residue analyses involved 87 samples from cooking and storing vessels, whereas analyses of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes included 63 human bone samples and 26 animal specimens. The results indicate that from the mid-eighth century AD, crop production was of high quality similar, to that of the Roman Age. The main cultivations were naked wheats, barley and horse bean, a diversity that attests the technological skills reached by Tuscan peasants during the whole Middle Ages. Different cereals and pulse abundantly supplemented the diet. This strategy not only ensured peasants’ subsistence in the mid-eighth century AD, minimizing the risks of environmental adversities, but it also increased crop production – from the mid-ninth century AD on, for the revived markets and trade. Between the eleventh and fourteenth centuries AD, C4 plants had a dominant role in the peasants’ diet, when the wheat production was strictly collected first by the landlords and then by the cities for their own needs. Crop production was integrated by swine farming; animal meat consumption is well documented in rural and urban populations from the ninth century AD. Wine and olive oil, considered important elements of diet in Medieval Tuscany, have a very scarce presence, but they are recorded for later periods, mainly in urban areas and in higher social classes, such as the religious and aristocratic ones. In fact, only between the twelfth and thirteenth centuries AD was the great expansion of olive groves and vineyards recorded, when cities and urban populations claim to have access to these luxury foods.

Residue analysis of the floors of a charcoal burner’s hut at Naour (Morocco)

As part of the ethnoarchaeological study carried out by S. Burri and A. Durand on the way of life of current charcoal burners in Morocco, archaeometric analyses of samples from the floor of a hut in Naour were carried out in order to identify the presence of chemical concentrations. These analyses were performed in order to understand the chemical traces left by the various activities during the occupation of the hut and to provide data that could, in the future, serve as a framework for the interpretation of the archaeological record.

Thermographic Survey at Hagia Sophia: Main Arches, Pendentives and Tympana

ABSTRACT Hagia Sophia is one of the oldest and most complex existing monuments. Many unanswered questions are still open on the historical and constructive evolution of this monument. The boundaries between the different construction phases and the details of the masonry and materials used in the various phases are still not defined with precision. The thermographic survey, carried out inside the monument, made it possible to answer some of these questions by specifying the exact location of the past interventions and the variability of the materials employed allowing a better understanding of the constructive history of the monument. The technique was applied at a great distance and in normal environmental conditions, taking advantage of the high thermal sensitivity of the instrumentation. The results achieved confirm the validity of the technique in the study of ancient buildings.

Organic residue analysis of experimental, medieval, and post-medieval glazed ceramics

Glazed ceramics have not typically been sampled for organic residue analysis because the glaze is not porous; therefore, it is commonly believed that these ceramics cannot absorb substances. Although this is partially true, the aim of this paper is to demonstrate that the glaze may exhibit imperfections due to the production process or the use of ceramics and that these imperfections allow the ceramic matrix to trap residues of the food contained in the vessels. The absorption of organic residues in glazed ceramics is demonstrated by analyses of modern vessels experimentally enriched with wine and vegetable oils (olive and lentisk oils) and archaeological vessels obtained from post-medieval Florence (Italy) and medieval Pla d’Almatà (Balaguer, Lleida, Spain). The analyses were conducted using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry following different extraction protocols aimed at identifying lipids and wine residues preserved in the ceramic vessels. Images of the glazed ceramic coating were recorded using an optical microscope and a scanning electron microscope to verify the presence of imperfections. In addition to providing information about the use of the studied vessels, the obtained results demonstrate how glazed ceramics can be studied to recover information regarding ceramic use and dietary practices in medieval and post-medieval periods when glazed wares were very common.

Preliminary results of the organic residue analysis of 13th century cooking wares from a household in Frankish Paphos (Cyprus)

Abstract Organic residue analysis was carried out on kitchen wares from a Medieval household at Paphos (Cyprus) in the framework of the POMEDOR Project, which aims to gain insight into food practices in the Eastern Mediterranean during the Medieval period. The samples were selected from a household assemblage which included nearly two hundred table, cooking and storage vessels, and provided a rare insight into everyday life in Frankish-period Paphos. Both glazed and unglazed vessels were chosen for this first step towards the study of foodways at the site: 4 glazed vessels (3 pans/baking dishes and 1 cooking pot) and 7 unglazed vessels (3 cooking pots, 1 jug and 3 pans/baking dishes). Samples were analysed using gas chromatography – mass spectrometry, following different extraction methods to identify the residues preserved. The preliminary study confirmed that glazed ceramics absorb residues. Animal products were identified in the unglazed pots and in glazed pans/baking dishes. Only one unglazed pan shows residues of possible wine or its derivatives, that may have been used to flavor the foodstuff cooked. Statement of significance Ceramic vessels can be studied in order to recover information about their original content through specific chemical analyses. This study is part of the first step of a broader project, which aims to gain insights into food practices in the Eastern Mediterranean during the Medieval period. The project incorporates historical, archaeological and archaeometric research. The study provides information on the use of a range of vessels, such as pots, pans/baking dishes, and jugs, as well as on the food cooked in them. An important aspect of this study is that it confirms that glazed ceramics absorb and preserve organic residues, yielding information about the original content of the vessels.

Organic residues analysis of Late Antique pottery from Plaça Major-Horts de Can Torras (Castellar del Vallés, Catalonia)

Organic residues analysis is an important tool in archaeological research because it sheds light on aspects of the daily life of the past. In particular, it allows us to obtain information on food production, consumption and trade. In this paper we present the results of residue analysis performed on ceramic vessels from the archaeological site of Placa Major-Horts de Can Torras (Castellar del Valles, Barcelona, Spain), a long lasting site, of which we studied the Late Antique occupation. The site is a rural settlement located in the northeast of Catalonia and it was characterized by structures made of perishable material and by the presence of silos, above which probably the living structures were placed. Analyses were carried out on twelve cooking and storage ceramic forms that were the most representative of the Late Antique phase. In particular pots, jugs, pans and dolia were analyzed, in order to investigate the food consumed at the site. Analyses were conducted by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The results show the cooking of animal and vegetal products in the cooking vessels (pots and pan) and the storage of wine in the dolia . Pinaceae products are particularly abundant in some vessels, which suggests the use of this substance at the site. In general, the analyses carried out provide the first case study of residue analysis of ceramic material of this period in Catalonia and allowed us to recover information both on food habits and on the use of different ceramic forms during Late Antiquity in this area.