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

9321601 Bar-Yosef博士。奥弗·巴-约瑟夫和凯瑟琳·赖特将与伦敦大学大学学院的化学家合作，对史前敲击和研磨石头上的残留物进行化学分析。要研究的物品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品的用途，确定单个标本是否有助于减少动物或植物产品，并希望识别单个植物物种。他们将采用薄层色谱法和气相色谱-质谱法。选择的分析材料来自安全的考古背景，包括前农业和早期农业遗址。大约1万年前，近东出现了对动植物的驯化，标志着人类生活方式的重大转变。这种“新石器革命”为人口增长、定居乡村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，并认识到完成这一过程有多么困难。植物很少会在考古记录中留下明显的痕迹，因为与动物骨骼相比，它们往往很脆弱，不能很好地保存。从人种学的类比来看，磨碎的石头经常被用来加工植物和动物的食物。Bar-Yosef和Wright正专注于这类材料。这项研究之所以重要，有几个原因。这将有助于开发一种可以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，并增加我们对复杂社会（如我们自己的社会）是如何发展的理解。＊＊＊

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. ***