New criteria for the molecular identification of cereal grains associated with archaeological artefacts.
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Authors
Collins, Matthew J
Carrer, Francesco
Gubler, Regula
Kühn, Marlu
Fischer, Roman
Craig, Oliver E
Publication Date
2017-07-26Journal Title
Sci Rep
ISSN
2045-2322
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Volume
7
Issue
1
Pages
6633
Language
eng
Type
Article
Physical Medium
Electronic
Metadata
Show full item recordCitation
Colonese, A. C., Hendy, J., Lucquin, A., Speller, C. F., Collins, M. J., Carrer, F., Gubler, R., et al. (2017). New criteria for the molecular identification of cereal grains associated with archaeological artefacts.. Sci Rep, 7 (1), 6633. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-06390-x
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.
Identifiers
External DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-06390-x
This record's URL: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/285856
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