58 research outputs found
Chemical evidence for the persistence of wine production and trade in Early Medieval Islamic Sicily
As a high-value luxury commodity, wine has been transported across the Mediterranean since the Bronze Age. The wine trade was potentially disrupted during political and religious change brought about by Islamization in the Early Medieval period; wine consumption is prohibited in Islamic scripture. Utilizing a quantitative criterion based on the relative amounts of two fruit acids in transport amphorae, we show that wine was exported from Sicily beyond the arrival of Islam in the ninth century, including to Christian regions of the central Mediterranean. This finding is significant for understanding how regime change affected trade in the Middle Ages. We also outline a robust analytical approach for detecting wine in archaeological ceramics that will be useful elucidating viniculture more broadly.Although wine was unquestionably one of the most important commodities traded in the Mediterranean during the Roman Empire, less is known about wine commerce after its fall and whether the trade continued in regions under Islamic control. To investigate, here we undertook systematic analysis of grapevine products in archaeological ceramics, encompassing the chemical analysis of 109 transport amphorae from the fifth to the eleventh centuries, as well as numerous control samples. By quantifying tartaric acid in relation to malic acid, we were able to distinguish grapevines from other fruit-based products with a high degree of confidence. Using these quantitative criteria, we show beyond doubt that wine continued to be traded through Sicily during the Islamic period. Wine was supplied locally within Sicily but also exported from Palermo to ports under Christian control. Such direct evidence supports the notion that Sicilian merchants continued to capitalize on profitable Mediterranean trade networks during the Islamic period, including the trade in products prohibited by the Islamic hadiths, and that the relationship between wine and the rise of Islam was far from straightforward.All study data are included in the article and/or SI Appendix
Investigating the formation and diagnostic value of Ï-(o-alkylphenyl)alkanoic acids in ancient pottery
Long chain Ïâ(oâalkylphenyl)alkanoic acids (APAAs) derived from the heating of unsaturated fatty acids have been widely used for the identification of aquatic products in archaeological ceramic vessels. To date, little attention has been paid to the diagnostic potential of shorter chain (<C20) APAAs, despite their frequent occurrence. Here, a range of laboratory and field experiments and analyses of archaeological samples were undertaken to investigate whether APAAs could be used to further differentiate different commodities. The results of this study provide new insights regarding conditions for the formation of APAAs and enable us to propose novel criteria to distinguish different natural products
Substances naturelles liées aux céramiques archéologiques
National audienceSubstances naturelles liées aux céramiques archéologique
Substances naturelles liées aux céramiques archéologiques
GrĂące aux recherches en archĂ©ologie biomolĂ©culaire, la connaissance des substances naturelles conservĂ©es sous forme de rĂ©sidus organiques amorphes a fait des progrĂšs considĂ©rables ces derniĂšres annĂ©es, passant dâobservations et analyses ponctuelles Ă des recherches de fond basĂ©es sur lâĂ©tude de sĂ©ries archĂ©ologiques consĂ©quentes. MolĂ©cules parmi les plus stables face aux divers mĂ©canismes de dĂ©gradation, les lipides ont Ă©tĂ© lâobjet de la majoritĂ© de ces recherches, en particulier dans les rĂ©cipients cĂ©ramiques qui constituent une matrice de conservation privilĂ©giĂ©e. Des problĂ©matiques dâexploitation des ressources naturelles mais aussi les aspects fonctionnels et techniques (rĂ©paration, impermĂ©abilisation, etc.) des rĂ©cipients cĂ©ramiques ont ainsi pu ĂȘtre dĂ©veloppĂ©es grĂące lâĂ©laboration de stratĂ©gies dâanalyse adossĂ©es Ă des questionnements archĂ©ologiques prĂ©cis. Par la combinaison dâanalyses structurales et isotopiques, de multiples substances ont ainsi pu ĂȘtre identifiĂ©es : produits laitiers, cire dâabeille, matiĂšres grasses animales, huiles vĂ©gĂ©tales, boissons fermentĂ©es, substances dâorigine marine, rĂ©sines et goudrons vĂ©gĂ©taux, cacao, etc. Tout lâenjeu des recherches futures va ĂȘtre dâexploiter le potentiel informatif de nouveaux marqueurs, quâils soient structuraux ou isotopiques mais aussi de coupler ces approches analytiques avec la recherche de micro- et macrorestes potentiellement piĂ©gĂ©s dans les cĂ©ramiques de façon Ă diversifier la gamme des substances naturelles identifiables
Substances naturelles liées aux céramiques archéologiques
National audienceSubstances naturelles liées aux céramiques archéologique
Contenu des poteries au Néolithique dans le Nord-Ouest méditerranéen - Premiers résultats
Contenu des poteries au Néolithique dans le Nord-Ouest méditerranéen - Premiers résultat
Contenu des poteries au Néolithique dans le Nord-Ouest méditerranéen - Premiers résultats
Contenu des poteries au Néolithique dans le Nord-Ouest méditerranéen - Premiers résultat
A table ! Cuisiner il y a 8000 ans (série Past and Curious)
Savez-vous ce que mangeaient nos ancĂȘtres ? Eh non, le menu prĂ©historique n'Ă©tait pas uniquement composĂ© de viande rĂŽtie ! Quand on analyse le contenu de poteries provençales vieilles de 8000 ans, on constate que la viande faisait partie des repas, mais aussi des vĂ©gĂ©taux, des produits laitiers et mĂȘme probablement du miel... A table
- âŠ