From Storage to Disposal: a Holistic Microbotanical Approach to Domestic Plant Preparation and Consumption Activities in Late Minoan Gypsades, Crete

The analysis of microbotanical remains (starch grains and phytoliths) from food-related domestic contexts and artefacts has the potential to provide insights into daily plant preparation and consumption activities. In particular, pottery vessels offer an unparalleled comparative framework for the study of food preparation and consumption, since pottery is used for a variety of domestic food-related activities, including storage, processing and serving. This study illustrates the potential of microbotanical remains to provide a holistic approach to the plant food preparation and consumption cycle—from storage to disposal—through the analysis of starch grains and phytoliths from Late Minoan storage, cooking and serving vessels recently uncovered at the Knossian ‘neighbourhood’ of Lower Gypsades. The results show that starch grains and phytoliths are more abundant and diverse in cooking vessels, presumably reflecting a higher deposition of microbotanical remains as a result of the disturbance caused by cooking. The results further offer insights into Minoan storage and cooking practices at Gypsades, suggesting that cereals were stored de-husked in pithoi and, possibly, in palm leaf baskets, and later cooked together with non-staple plants. The virtual absence of microbotanical remains from serving vessels may be due to depositional factors and/or the fact that some of the vessels analysed in this study were used for serving/consuming liquids or animal products, and not plants.The project was made possible with funds provided by INSTAP (EH, GA, AB); Semple Fund, Department of Classics, University of Cincinnati (EH); ERC Grant No. 312785 (AB); Fell Fund, University of Oxford (AB); the British Academy Grant No. SG152915 (AB); and the BSA. While working on this manuscript, JJGG was funded by a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship (MSCA 2015, European Commission Grant No. 704867) and a Juan de la Cierva Incorporación 2018 Fellowship (Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities), and ET is currently a F.S.R. Research Fellow funded by the Universitè Catholique de Louvain.Peer reviewe

Function and use of ceramic vessels. Application of organic residue analysis at Sissi (ORA.SI).

This paper presents the protocols followed during the organic residue analysis programme at Sissi excavations

The function and use of cooking vessels in Minoan Crete : an interdisciplinary study on ceramic assemblages from Sissi and Malia/Quartier Pi (MM IIIA-LM IIIB - 1750-1200 B.C.)

The present research focuses on cooking practices and culinary traditions in Neopalatial to Postpalatial Minoan Crete (1750-1200 BCE) through a functional analysis applied to a wide range of ceramic cooking vessels. The study looks at first-hand data derived from the examination of cooking assemblages found in two Minoan settlement case-studies: Sissi and Malia/Area Pi on the north-eastern coast of Crete. A significant aspect of the research project is the holistic approach taken in the study of the function and use of cooking vessels which is based on a combination of the following analytical methods: the morphology and technology of the ceramic cooking repertoire were studied from a functional perspective, while use-wear, organic residue and contextual information were assessed in terms of the actual use(s) of the cooking vessels. The main results of the study concern the identification of aspects of the functional capacity and functional performance relating to cooking vessels of all different shapes and types. Cooking vessels capable of performing wet and/or dry cooking methods were identified. Furthermore, aspects such as the cooking temperature, consistency of contents, and position of the vessel in relation to the heat source were identified through the use-wear analysis. Moreover, the role of cooking vessels in the culinary process was assessed. The application of organic-residue analysis using two techniques of analysis (microbotanical and molecular) identified a range of plant foodstuffs, plant and animal fats as well as natural products, which in combination with the rest of the methods of analysis, shed new light on the contents and the uses of cooking vessels. Through the contextual analysis a definition of the different shapes constituting a cooking set and the different vessels participating in the culinary sequence was obtained. Finally, the identification of continuities and discontinuities in the different function(s) and use(s) made it possible to better understand the culinary traditions in each of the two settlements and shed new light on the Minoan culinary culture(s) diachronically.La présente recherche se concentre sur les pratiques et les traditions culinaires en Crète minoenne de la période néopalatiale à celle postpalatiale (1750-1200 av. n.è.) par le biais d'une analyse fonctionnelle appliquée à un large éventail de récipients de cuisine en céramique. L'étude se base sur des données de première main issues de l'examen d'assemblages culinaires mis au jour dans deux établissements minoens servant ici de cas d’étude: Sissi et Malia/Secteur Pi sur la côte nord-est de la Crète. L'approche holistique adoptée dans l'étude de la fonction et de l'utilisation des récipients de cuisine constitue un aspect majeur de ce projet de recherche. Celle-ci est basée sur la combinaison de différentes méthodes analytiques: les aspects morphologiques et technologiques du répertoire des récipients de cuisine ont été étudiés d'un point de vue fonctionnel, tandis que les traces d’utilisation, les résidus organiques et les informations contextuelles ont été évalués pour ce qu’ils révèlent des utilisations concrètes de ces récipients de cuisine. Les principaux résultats de l'étude concernent l'identification des spécificités liées à la capacité et à la performance fonctionnelles de récipients de formes et de types variés. Une distinction a pu également être établie entre récipients de cuisine liées à des méthodes de cuisson impliquant une importante quantité de liquide et ceux liées à des méthodes de cuisson peu liquides. En outre, l'analyse des traces d’utilisation a permis de documenter des aspects tels que la température de cuisson, la consistance du contenu et la position du récipient par rapport à la source de chaleur. De plus, le rôle de ces récipients dans le processus culinaire a été investigué. L’examen des résidus organiques par l’application de deux techniques analytiques (microbotanique et moléculaire) a permis d'identifier une série d'aliments végétaux, de graisses végétales et animales, ainsi que d’autres produits naturels, comme des produits de la ruche. Cette dernière approche, combinée aux autres méthodes d'analyse, a permis de préciser tant le contenu que les modes d’utilisation des récipients de cuisson. L'analyse contextuelle a quant à elle permis de définir les différents récipients qui constituaient un set de cuisine et participaient à la séquence culinaire au sein des communautés examinées. Enfin, la mise en lumière de continuités et discontinuités en regard des différentes fonctions et utilisations mises en évidence pour cette large gamme de récipients a contribué à mieux comprendre les traditions culinaires propres à chacun des deux sites, mais aussi plus largement, la (les) culture(s) culinaire(s) minoenne(s) selon une approche diachronique.(HIAR - Histoire, art et archéologie) -- UCL, 202

Culinary practices and pottery use in Minoan Crete. Integrating lipidic residue analysis in the study of cooking vessels from Sissi and Malia

In this paper, we report on the analytical investigation of cooking vessels from two neighboring Minoan settlements, Sissi and Malia, both located in north east Crete. In particular, eleven (11) samples were selected from cooking pottery excavated in Area Pi, district of the Malia palace dated to the Neopalatial period. Another twenty-nine (29) cooking pottery samples were chosen from Sissi dated from Neopalatial to Postpalatial periods and therefore extending the chronological scope of the project. A combined approach was implemented, involving functional study of the pottery and contextual information with organic residue analysis aiming at exploring the resources available, food habits and vessel use diachronically. To this end different vessels of common cooking types were analysed, such as tripod cooking pots, cooking jars and cooking dishes. The data generated revealed the use of beeswax and Pinaceae resins, as well as the preservation of lipids derived from plant and animal fats. Significant data on vessel use through time was generated, shedding light on the manifold relationship between food procurement, preparation and consumption practices and on the potential of new research methods in their investigation

Fonction et utilisation de la céramique de cuisine en Crète à l’Âge du Bronze: approche interdisciplinaire

La civilisation minoenne qui se développe sur l’île de Crète à l’âge du Bronze fait montre d’un répertoire céramique très varié, de sorte que la fonction spécifique, voire multiple, de poteries récurrentes, mais aussi leurs modes précis d’utilisation, demeurent en partie énigmatiques. Certains éléments essentiels de l’organisation de la vie quotidienne (transformation des aliments, cuisine, repas, stockage, éclairage) et des pratiques artisanales qui y sont liées restent ainsi mal définis. Cette communication présente un projet de recherches en cours qui ambitionne de clarifier l’étude fonctionnelle d’une sélection de types de vases utilitaires, principalement culinaires, en adoptant une méthodologie interdisciplinaire qui associe analyse techno-morphologique, analyse des macro-traces d’usure, analyses des résidus organiques, et contextualisation archéologique. L’examen des types sélectionnés se base sur des données de première main issues de l’occupation néo-palatiale et post-palatiale (1750-1200 BC) des sites de Sissi et Malia (Crète nord-est)

From fragmented evidence to the identification of cooking practices. A diachronic approach from Minoan Crete

This paper discussed the identification of cooking practices in the archaeological context of Minoan Crete