An experimental approach for tracing olive processing residues in the archaeobotanical record, with preliminary examples from Tell Tweini, Syria |
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Authors: | Elena Marinova Jan M A van der Valk Soultana Maria Valamoti Joachim Bretschneider |
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Institution: | (1) Center for Archaeological Sciences, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200E, 3001 Leuven, Belgium;(2) Bioarchaeology Unit, Royal Belgian Institute for Natural Sciences, Vautierstraat 29, 1000 Brussels, Belgium;(3) Department of Archaeology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24 Thessaloniki, Greece;(4) Department of Near Eastern Studies, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Blijde Inkomstraat 21, 3000 Leuven, Belgium |
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Abstract: | To help the interpretation of possible olive processing residues at archaeological sites, this study examines the changes
which occur in pre- and post-charring breakage surfaces of olive stones at tissue level. Fresh olives were experimentally
broken before and after charring and heated to different temperatures (230, 330, 430°C) in oxidising and non-oxidising conditions.
The structures obtained by the experiment were studied with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the characteristics for
the different temperatures, oxidation regimes and pre- or post-charring fractures were recorded. Furthermore, the experimental
specimens were compared with recent and possibly old fractures of several archaeological olive stones from Tell Tweini, Syria.
Criteria to infer their formation are discussed. These criteria could be developed further through more experimental replication
and additional charring variables, and verified extensively on archaeobotanical assemblages in future studies. The described
structures and alterations in the olive stones can be observed using reflected light microscopy, which would allow the proposed
approach to be rather easy to apply in practice. |
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