Exploratory Research: The Potential of Chemical Analysis of Organic Residues on Ground Stone Tools in Reconstructing Prehistoric Diet

探索性研究：磨制石器上有机残留物的化学分析在重建史前饮食中的潜力

• 批准号: 9321601
• 负责人: Ofer Bar-Yosef
• 金额: $ 2万
• 依托单位: Harvard University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1993
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1993-12-01 至 1996-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9321601&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Exploratory; Research; Potential; Chemical; Analysis

9321601 Bar-Yosef Drs. Ofer Bar-Yosef and Katherine Wright, in collaboration with chemists from University College, University of London, will conduct chemical analysis of residues incorporated onto prehistoric pounding and grinding stones. The objects to be studied derive from a series of sites in Jordan and Israel. On this basis they hope to reconstruct the uses to which these objects were put, determine whether individual specimens served to reduce animal or plant products, and hopefully identify the individual plant species. They will employ thin-layer chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy. Materials selected for analysis derive from secure well dated archaeological contexts and include both pre- agricultural and early agricultural sites. The domestication of plants and animals occurred in the Near East ca. 10,000 years ago and marks a major transition in human lifestyle. This "Neolithic revolution" provided the basis for population increase, the development of settled village life and the rise of civilization. Archaeologists wish to understand the process which lead to domestication and recognize how difficult it is to accomplish this. Plants only infrequently leave a visible mark in the archaeological record because - in contrast to animal bone - they are often fragile and do not preserve well. It is known by ethnographic analogy that ground stone objects are often used to process plant and animal foods and for this reason Drs. Bar-Yosef and Wright are focussing on such materials. This research is important for several reasons. It will help to develop a technique which may be applied in many archaeological situations. It will provide data of interest to many archaeologists and increase our understanding of how complex societies such as our own developed. ***

小行星9321601 Ofer Bar-Yosef博士和凯瑟琳赖特博士将与伦敦大学学院的化学家合作，对史前重击和研磨石头上的残留物进行化学分析。研究对象来自约旦和以色列的一系列遗址。在此基础上，他们希望重建这些物体的用途，确定个体标本是否用于减少动物或植物产品，并希望识别个体植物物种。他们将采用薄层色谱法和气相色谱-质谱法。分析所选的材料来自安全、年代久远的考古环境，包括农业前和早期农业遗址。 植物和动物的驯化发生在大约近东。它标志着人类生活方式的重大转变。这场“新石器时代革命”为人口增长、定居村庄生活的发展和文明的兴起提供了基础。考古学家希望了解导致驯化的过程，并认识到实现这一目标的难度。植物很少在考古记录中留下可见的痕迹，因为与动物骨骼相比，它们往往很脆弱，保存得不好。通过人种学的类比，人们知道磨石物体通常用于加工植物和动物食品，因此Bar-Yosef博士和Wright博士专注于这些材料。 这项研究之所以重要，有几个原因。这将有助于开发一种可应用于许多考古情况的技术。它将为许多考古学家提供感兴趣的数据，并增加我们对像我们这样的复杂社会如何发展的理解。 ***