Ancient bread recipes: Archaeometric data on charred findings

This study examines charred bread-like samples found in several archaeological sites across northern Italy and dating from the Early Bronze Age to the Early Middle Ages, some of which are included amongst the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The aim is to investigate differences and homogeneities in bread production processes in different eras and cultures. Bread was a staple food in many ancient societies, but has rarely been found amongst the materials that survive in archaeological sites. When it is found, it is usually because the bread was charred by accidental combustion (falling into the oven during baking) or deliberate combustion (for ritual purposes). The literature on the issue is not abundant, but has been growing over the past decade. There is, therefore, room to propose new study methodologies at this time. We studied eight samples of charred bread-like products and we used optical and scanning electron microscopy to identify plant tissue remains attributable to cereal caryopses, partly modified by bread-making processes. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and, for the first time, infrared spectroscopy in attenuated total reflectance mode (FTIR-ATR) were also used to investigate the composition and preparation methods of the different types of bread-like products. In particular, FTIR-ATR analysis can give indications about the presence of starch, gluten and lignin in the sample under investigation and it can, therefore, be used as a screening to guide subsequent SEM analysis in the search for specific cereal residues in the dough. In some cases, the different techniques used also revealed the presence of minerals such as silicates and carbonates, probably due to grinding residues or poor sample cleaning. During SEM observations, phytoliths, diatoms and framboids were also found in some of the samples

The Intimate Soul of the Pyres: New Archaeological Data from the <i>Terre di Rogo</i> (Pyre Debris) of Pre-Roman Necropolis in Padua (Northern Italy)

The ‘terre di rogo’ (pyre debris) are black-coloured layers resulting from the crematory pyres, placed inside graves within the ritual of secondary deposition and containing different materials, including cremation slags. The characterisation of the slags, until now rarely conducted by chemical techniques, can provide useful data to explain more precisely the protocol of the funeral ritual and to better understand the effects of fire during cremation for the accumulation of pyre debris. In this study, a fast screening method using ATR-mode infrared spectroscopy is proposed, which may highlight the need for further investigations with SEM and XRD. The protocol was tested on the black and irregularly shaped cremation slags from the pyre debris of two Iron Age cremation necropolises in Padua (northern Italy). The results of the analysis identified several types of cremation slags within each individual pyre ground and the presence of bone fragments exposed to different intensities of combustion during cremation

Food in prehistory of Northern Italy: case studies and investigation methods

This research shows that the use of electron microscopy (SEM) is fundamental to study food remains and to highlight their variety. Three samples of prehistoric bread from the area of Lake Garda (Northern Italy), and precisely from Bande di Cavriana, Lazise and Lake Lucone, were studied with this technique. They consist of products intended for daily meal, but found in the favourable context of underwater sites. The loaf from Cavriana contains dressed barley and wheat (emmer and/or einkorn), carefully dehusked, as demonstrated by the few remains of glumes in the dough; the presence of the bran confirms that it is a wholemeal bread. Emmer is also found in the dough of the flat bread from Lucone, whose study is still at a preliminary stage; in the flat bread from Lazise, the presence of sharp-edged fragments of kernels in the dough indicates perhaps a different way of preparation of this product

The paleonutrition from 500 BC to 500 AD: case studies between the Adda and the Ticino River (Northern Italy)

The paleonutrition from 500 BC to 500 AD: cases studies between the Adda and Ticino river (Northern Italy

Ipotesi di datazione sulla “struttura circolare” del Nuovo Ospedale Sant’Anna di Como in base ai dati archeobotanici

Preceded by a geomorphological study, the archaeological and archaeobotanical investigation of the site of the Nuovo Ospedale Sant’Anna in Como was carried out in 2007. The radiometric dating of the botanical remains, found in three different levels of the circular structure of the hospital, has revealed the first human presence in the ancient Neolithic through the C14 analysis of A) the charcoals of the well US 885 dated 6113 ± 37 BP, B) a layer with ritual plowing (US 813E) located at a higher level than the well (dated to the Middle Bronze Age 3223 ± 24 BP) and C) a “radial filling” of the circular structure (US 577, datable to the Iron Age 2390 ± 37 BP). The discovery of 20 burials made it possible to better specify the last phases of use of the site: three within the circular structure referable to the early Iron Age, others from the same period and from the Roman Age outside the structure. The analysis of over 200 charcoals coming from the well, from the plows, from the radial fillings and from the tombs of the 6th century BC, have helped to reconstruct the evolution of the forest cover along a chronological span of about 4000 years, also by means of the comparison with pollen data available in the literature

Il paesaggio preromano proto-urbano nei dintorni di Como: contesto ambientale e trasformazioni antropiche

Il contesto ambientale della piana di Como e dei suoi dintorni ha influenzato profondamente la distribuzione degli insediamenti preistorici. Poich\ue9 la piana era una palude inabitabile, gli umani si stanziarono su colline e montagne intorno al Lago di Como. Il primo centro proto-urbano si svilupp\uf2 durante l'Et\ue0 del Ferro sul versante meridionale della collina della Spina Verde. Esso era vasto e ben organizzato a livello amministrativo, produttivo e religioso. Speriment\uf2 un'importante espansione culturale ed economica grazie alla sua posizione, lungo la via di comunicazione tra il Mediterraneo e l'Europa Centrale. Il suo sviluppo caus\uf2 profonde trasformazioni nel paesaggio a causa di un intenso uso del suolo. La piana fu occupata solo quando i Romani bonificarono la palude e modificarono la rete di drenaggio locale