Biomolecular Chemistry and Archaeology: Preliminary Organic Residue Analysis from Ceramics, Barbados, West Indies

Presenter Information

Jillian Hendrix
Elizabeth Seelye

Document Type

Oral Presentation

Campus where you would like to present

SURC Ballroom C/D

Start Date

15-5-2014

End Date

15-5-2014

Keywords

Anthropology, ceramics, Gas Chromatography-mass Spectrometry

Abstract

Our goal is to identify compounds or categories of compounds located on the surfaces of ceramic sherds and within cracks of the sherds. The sherds were taken from two household sites in the Caribbean; the Goddard Site house, which dates between B.C. 200- A.D. 300, and the Chancery Lane Site house, A.D. 500-1500. Sherds from both sites have been sorted by type of pottery and the presence of white or black residue. Residues will be examined under high power microscope. Some isotope and DNA analysis will be explored. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GS-MS) will be used to identify possible lipids on the surfaces of the ceramics and will help in identifying the types of foods or medicinal plants that the ceramics might have contained at the time of their use. The results taken from GS-MS will then be compared to those on searchable databases, which will aid in identifying the compounds. It is our goal to present Hendrix's fuller report of findings at SOURCE 2015.

Poster Number

40

Faculty Mentor(s)

Hackenberger, Steve

Additional Mentoring Department

Anthropology and Museum Studies

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May 15th, 11:30 AM May 15th, 2:00 PM

Biomolecular Chemistry and Archaeology: Preliminary Organic Residue Analysis from Ceramics, Barbados, West Indies

SURC Ballroom C/D

Our goal is to identify compounds or categories of compounds located on the surfaces of ceramic sherds and within cracks of the sherds. The sherds were taken from two household sites in the Caribbean; the Goddard Site house, which dates between B.C. 200- A.D. 300, and the Chancery Lane Site house, A.D. 500-1500. Sherds from both sites have been sorted by type of pottery and the presence of white or black residue. Residues will be examined under high power microscope. Some isotope and DNA analysis will be explored. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GS-MS) will be used to identify possible lipids on the surfaces of the ceramics and will help in identifying the types of foods or medicinal plants that the ceramics might have contained at the time of their use. The results taken from GS-MS will then be compared to those on searchable databases, which will aid in identifying the compounds. It is our goal to present Hendrix's fuller report of findings at SOURCE 2015.