Journal article
Integrating lipid and starch grain analyses from pottery vessels to explore prehistoric foodways in Northern Gujarat, India
- Abstract:
- This study attempts a holistic approach to past foodways in prehistoric northern Gujarat, India, by considering evidence of food production, distribution, preparation and consumption. We present here the results of a pilot residue study, integrating lipid and starch grain analyses, conducted on 28 ceramic vessels from three Chalcolithic/Harappan settlements (c. 3300–2000 cal. BC) in northern Gujarat, which are discussed in the light of previous evidence of plant and animal acquisition and preparation strategies in this region. We aim to explore how the prehistoric inhabitants of northern Gujarat transformed ingredients into meals, focusing on how different foodstuffs were processed. When assessed on their own, the lipid and compound-specific isotopic data suggest that animal fats were primarily processed in ceramic vessels, specifically non-ruminant fats. However, lipid residue analysis favors the detection of fat-rich animal products and is often unable to disentangle signatures resulting from the mixing of plant and animal products. The incorporation of starch grain analyses provides evidence for the processing of a range of plants in the vessels, such as cereals, pulses and underground storage organs. Together, the results provide a holistic perspective on foodways and a way forward in overcoming preservational and interpretational limitations.
- Publication status:
- Published
- Peer review status:
- Peer reviewed
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(Preview, Version of record, pdf, 2.2MB, Terms of use)
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- Publisher copy:
- 10.3389/fevo.2022.840199
Authors
- Publisher:
- Frontiers Media
- Journal:
- Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution More from this journal
- Volume:
- 10
- Article number:
- 840199
- Publication date:
- 2022-03-16
- Acceptance date:
- 2022-02-22
- DOI:
- EISSN:
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2296-701X
- Language:
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English
- Keywords:
- Pubs id:
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2025564
- Local pid:
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pubs:2025564
- Deposit date:
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2025-02-12
- ARK identifier:
Terms of use
- Copyright holder:
- García-Granero et al
- Copyright date:
- 2022
- Rights statement:
- © 2022 García-Granero, Suryanarayan, Cubas, Craig, Cárdenas, Ajithprasad and Madella. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
- Licence:
- CC Attribution (CC BY)
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