Masterclass: What's Cooking? Lipid Analysis of Pottery
Added 2022-01-26 16:40:40 +0000 UTCIt's amazing what can be learnt from a small pottery sherd. The type of pot, the fabric it was made from and even where and when it was made.
But thanks to the wonders of lipid analysis, we can often tell whether it was used to cook foods, the type of foods cooked – and even if it was boiled or fried!
How does it work? Dani Wootton caught up recently with Dr Julie Dunne of the University of Bristol to find out.
As Julie explains in this fascinating interview, she was intrigued by the idea of applying scientific processes to archaeological questions. Chemical analysis can reveal a huge amount about our humanity and social interaction.
In fact, lipid analysis is not just insightful on pottery and cooking – it has even been used to shed light on organic materials recovered from shipwrecks.
Julie's work recently made the news. Find out more here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-49813039
Comments
Dr Julie Dunne is a treasure! Please bring her back. A wonderful TT episode to this complete novice. Cheers!
Ross G. Kreamer
2022-04-07 20:48:39 +0000 UTCLipid analysis in archaeology! Fascinating, thanks for the mini master class.
Laura Soto-Barra
2022-02-06 16:12:15 +0000 UTCHi Mark, great question. We put it to Dr Dunne, who replied: 'We have analysed medieval glazed pottery and have actually found lipids within the pots. Looking at these pots microscopically we generally find that glazes in the past were imperfect and often leave holes or gaps. The lipids must thus be migrating in through these gaps'.
Time Team
2022-02-03 10:02:12 +0000 UTCAwesome. Thank you both.
Kieran Gane
2022-01-29 00:48:16 +0000 UTCLink to the Stilton episode report below - seemingly no mention of lipid analysis. From memory, the Roman cheese press had been discovered previously and was whole. Purely conjecture, but due to the destructive process of grinding a sherd in order to extract the lipids, the local museum perhaps didn't take too kindly to the idea of smashing their pot! Is this form of analysis being used on the current digs? We'll just have to wait and see! https://www.wessexarch.co.uk/our-work/stilton
Time Team
2022-01-28 11:08:15 +0000 UTCHi Robert, this may not answer your questions fully but a range of original post-excavation reports from Time Team digs are available on the Wessex Archaeology website here: https://www.wessexarch.co.uk/our-work/time-team
Time Team
2022-01-28 10:38:41 +0000 UTCThank you both for these insights! I don’t remember this subject coming up in any Time Team dig? Has lipid analysis been applied to Time Team samples … ever? There was one Time Team dig (Stilton…) on an old Roman site where they found a cheese press … was lipid analysis used on that? Is this a hint that this form of analysis is being used on either of the current-ish digs? Does this analysis work on Samian ware as well?
Robert Wise
2022-01-27 20:27:44 +0000 UTCFascinating that so much can be learned from a piece of pot from long ago.
John Matthew IV
2022-01-27 19:29:30 +0000 UTCThank you!! I will absolutely give it a read.
Conan Mills
2022-01-27 14:50:28 +0000 UTCEnjoyed this very much so keep this sort of content coming!
Eggs Ackley
2022-01-27 02:28:45 +0000 UTCHere's a paper about lipid analysis in Alaska. https://core.tdar.org/document/431914/animal-fats-and-ancient-pyro-technologies-in-the-north-american-arctic-contextualized-analysis-of-lipids-in-archaeological-sediments-combustion-features-and-ceramics
Jeff Lanam
2022-01-27 02:16:27 +0000 UTCI'm only 5 mins in, so this may be answered later, but I would assume that if the inside of the pot had a glaze of some sort, the lipids would not be 'absorbed' into the pot(?) So maybe not possible to analyse in later pottery samples?
Mark Lund
2022-01-26 19:16:29 +0000 UTCI'm curious if this type of analysis can be done on less fatty samples, such as deer or rabbit. Here in the states we didn't have cow or pigs until the European settlers arrived.
Conan Mills
2022-01-26 17:17:05 +0000 UTCReally interesting - Thank you.
Diane Johnston
2022-01-26 17:17:02 +0000 UTC
