Heron, Carl, Shoda, Shinya orcid.org/0000-0001-9525-3710, Breu Barcons, Adrià et al. (10 more authors) (2016) First molecular and isotopic evidence of millet processing in prehistoric pottery vessels. Scientific Reports. 38767. ISSN 2045-2322
Abstract
Analysis of organic residues in pottery vessels has been successful in detecting a range of animal and plant products as indicators of food preparation and consumption in the past. However, the identification of plant remains, especially grain crops in pottery, has proved elusive. Extending the spectrum is highly desirable, not only to strengthen our understanding of the dispersal of crops from centres of domestication but also to determine modes of food processing, artefact function and the culinary significance of the crop. Here, we propose a new approach to identify millet in pottery vessels, a crop that spread throughout much of Eurasia during prehistory following its domestication, most likely in northern China. We report the successful identification of miliacin (olean-18-en-3β-ol methyl ether), a pentacyclic triterpene methyl ether that is enriched in grains of common/broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum), in Bronze Age pottery vessels from the Korean Peninsula and northern Europe. The presence of millet is supported by enriched carbon stable isotope values of bulk charred organic matter sampled from pottery vessel surfaces and extracted n-alkanoic acids, consistent with a C4 plant origin. These data represent the first identification of millet in archaeological ceramic vessels, providing a means to track the introduction, spread and consumption of this important crop.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s) 2016. |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Arts and Humanities (York) > Archaeology (York) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number AHRC AH/L00691X/1 |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 03 Jan 2017 11:49 |
Last Modified: | 23 Jan 2025 00:09 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1038/srep38767 |
Status: | Published |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1038/srep38767 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:109990 |