New criteria for the molecular identification of cereal grains associated with archaeological artefacts
Abstract The domestication and transmission of cereals is one of the most fundamental components of early farming, but direct evidence of their use in early culinary practices and economies has remained frustratingly elusive. Using analysis of a well-preserved Early Bronze Age wooden container from...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2017-07-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-06390-x |
| _version_ | 1818749242381959168 |
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| author | Andre Carlo Colonese Jessica Hendy Alexandre Lucquin Camilla F. Speller Matthew J. Collins Francesco Carrer Regula Gubler Marlu Kühn Roman Fischer Oliver E. Craig |
| author_facet | Andre Carlo Colonese Jessica Hendy Alexandre Lucquin Camilla F. Speller Matthew J. Collins Francesco Carrer Regula Gubler Marlu Kühn Roman Fischer Oliver E. Craig |
| author_sort | Andre Carlo Colonese |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The domestication and transmission of cereals is one of the most fundamental components of early farming, but direct evidence of their use in early culinary practices and economies has remained frustratingly elusive. Using analysis of a well-preserved Early Bronze Age wooden container from Switzerland, we propose novel criteria for the identification of cereal residues. Using gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS), we identified compounds typically associated with plant products, including a series of phenolic lipids (alkylresorcinols) found only at appreciable concentration in wheat and rye bran. The value of these lipids as cereal grain biomarkers were independently corroborated by the presence of macrobotanical remains embedded in the deposit, and wheat and rye endosperm peptides extracted from residue. These findings demonstrate the utility of a lipid-based biomarker for wheat and rye bran and offer a methodological template for future investigations of wider range of archaeological contexts. Alkylresorcinols provide a new tool for residue analysis which can help explore the spread and exploitation of cereal grains, a fundamental component of the advent and spread of farming. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-18T04:00:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8913bb870c744a00b3056c5aabdc4902 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-18T04:00:40Z |
| publishDate | 2017-07-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-8913bb870c744a00b3056c5aabdc49022022-12-21T21:21:41ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222017-07-01711710.1038/s41598-017-06390-xNew criteria for the molecular identification of cereal grains associated with archaeological artefactsAndre Carlo Colonese0Jessica Hendy1Alexandre Lucquin2Camilla F. Speller3Matthew J. Collins4Francesco Carrer5Regula Gubler6Marlu Kühn7Roman Fischer8Oliver E. Craig9BioArCh, Department of Archaeology, University of YorkBioArCh, Department of Archaeology, University of YorkBioArCh, Department of Archaeology, University of YorkBioArCh, Department of Archaeology, University of YorkBioArCh, Department of Archaeology, University of YorkMcCord Centre for Landscape, School of History, Classics and Archaeology, Newcastle UniversityArchaeological Service of the Canton of BernIntegrative Prähistorische und Naturwissenschaftliche Archäologie (IPNA)Target Discovery Institute, University of Oxford, NDMRBBioArCh, Department of Archaeology, University of YorkAbstract The domestication and transmission of cereals is one of the most fundamental components of early farming, but direct evidence of their use in early culinary practices and economies has remained frustratingly elusive. Using analysis of a well-preserved Early Bronze Age wooden container from Switzerland, we propose novel criteria for the identification of cereal residues. Using gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS), we identified compounds typically associated with plant products, including a series of phenolic lipids (alkylresorcinols) found only at appreciable concentration in wheat and rye bran. The value of these lipids as cereal grain biomarkers were independently corroborated by the presence of macrobotanical remains embedded in the deposit, and wheat and rye endosperm peptides extracted from residue. These findings demonstrate the utility of a lipid-based biomarker for wheat and rye bran and offer a methodological template for future investigations of wider range of archaeological contexts. Alkylresorcinols provide a new tool for residue analysis which can help explore the spread and exploitation of cereal grains, a fundamental component of the advent and spread of farming.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-06390-x |
| spellingShingle | Andre Carlo Colonese Jessica Hendy Alexandre Lucquin Camilla F. Speller Matthew J. Collins Francesco Carrer Regula Gubler Marlu Kühn Roman Fischer Oliver E. Craig New criteria for the molecular identification of cereal grains associated with archaeological artefacts Scientific Reports |
| title | New criteria for the molecular identification of cereal grains associated with archaeological artefacts |
| title_full | New criteria for the molecular identification of cereal grains associated with archaeological artefacts |
| title_fullStr | New criteria for the molecular identification of cereal grains associated with archaeological artefacts |
| title_full_unstemmed | New criteria for the molecular identification of cereal grains associated with archaeological artefacts |
| title_short | New criteria for the molecular identification of cereal grains associated with archaeological artefacts |
| title_sort | new criteria for the molecular identification of cereal grains associated with archaeological artefacts |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-06390-x |
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