With National Science Foundation support, Dr. Steve Wolverton and an interdisciplinary team of colleagues will conduct a year of analytical chemistry research into removing trace-level food residues from archaeological pottery. The team brings together specialists in archaeology, protein chemistry, plant-lipid chemistry, and environmental biology to tackle what has been a sizeable hurdle in removing protein residues from archaeological cooking vessel fragments. Unlike other classes of food resides (e.g., fats), proteins bind very tightly to clay during cooking. This tight binding structure is, however, a blessing in disguise because it likely protects protein fragments from deterioration over time in archaeological sites. The challenge has been breaking those tight bonds between minerals in pottery clays and residues. Protein residues potentially provide a distinct scientific advantage to archaeologists over study of other food residues; proteins can be identified to species and tissue when they are preserved and removed from pottery (other residues offer only coarse resolution). Importantly, addressing this methodological challenge will provide a new basis for asking wide ranging questions in archaeology both in terms of studying prehistoric subsistence (what people ate) and pottery function (what people used their pottery for).
There are several important implications of this research. An ability to extract protein residues from pottery potentially enables researchers to study past subsistence and pottery function using a broader archaeological record. In areas where faunal (animal bones) and botanical (seeds, nuts, pollen) remains are poorly preserved a common problem in archaeology pottery residues might provide a unique source of information on past diet and artifact function. The technique can be applied to questions of agricultural origins, which is often associated with development of pottery in many parts of the world.
This research will be incorporated into a variety of educational settings, which includes exposure of under-represented cultural groups to this research. At the graduate level, archaeology and biochemistry students are integral components of this research.. The research will be disseminated to the general public through several avenues: 1) UNTs Elm Fork Education Center, a science education program located on campus that reaches over 20,000 K-8 students each year; 2) Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, a nonprofit organization in Cortez, Colorado with archaeological education programs for the public, in particular students and educators; and 3) invited public lectures at schools, educational events, and local archaeological societies by members of the research team.
