Morning session - part 1 9:15-10:45
Evolving Lipid Evidence: Decoding Contributions of Aquatic Fat in Early Pottery of the Southeastern United States
Anne-Julie Bilodeau (1) - Karine Taché (1)
Laval University, Department of Historical Sciences, Quebec City, Canada (1)
Keywords: Earliest North American pottery, Lipid residue analysis, Late Archaic shell rings
New biomolecular data from lipid residue analysis conducted on one of the oldest potteries in North America now allows for a better understanding of Late Archaic (5000-3000 cal. BP) foodways in the southeastern United States. These pots have been uncovered on coastal sites referred to as shell rings, which represent the first year-round villages and large-scale feasting sites. Molecular and isotopic analyses were conducted on 60 pottery sherds and 20 baked clay objects (BCO) from St. Catherines and McQueen, two well-known shell rings located on St. Catherines Island (Georgia, USA), and dating respectively from 4300 to 4100, and 4100 to 3900 cal. BP. BCO are low-fired clay nodules that are thought to have been used in an indirect cooking method, although this hypothesis had never been tested by lipid residue analysis before. Results indicate a ubiquitous contribution of aquatic origin alongside plant and terrestrial animal-derived lipids in residues from pottery and BCO samples, validating previously untested hypothesis. Fatty acid ratios and trace amounts of aquatic biomarkers, however, led to erroneous initial interpretations and highlight the necessity of designing a multi-steps analytical protocol when conducting lipid analysis of ancient ceramics. Single-compound isotopic values are coherent with a mixing of marine aquatic resources and plant oils and/or animal fats. In addition, decorated sherds more often yielded lipid profiles indicating terrestrial animal fat contributions than undecorated sherds. Venison has frequently been described as an important feasting resource, suggesting that these pots were used during special gatherings.
