Starch Granules as Markers of Diet and Behavior

Abstract

Starch granules, the energy-storage molecules produced by plants, are increasingly used in archaeological studies as markers of human diet and food processing. While starch granules are organic in nature, their semi-crystalline structure likely contributes to their preservation in some protected archaeological contexts, such as within dental calculus or pottery crusts. Many naturally-occurring and human-induced processes can damage or destroy starches, however, so a detailed understanding of how starches are formed and ultimately preserved is necessary to accurately translate the starch record into meaningful statements about human behavior.

Sequential biomolecular, macrofossil, and microfossil extraction from coprolites for reconstructing past behavior and environments

“…Once demineralized, the sample can progress through the protocol provided above. Several studies have raised important concerns about controlling starch contamination in ancient starch laboratories (Crowther et al, 2014;Henry, 2020). Of particular concern is evidence for modern starch contamination in common lab consumables such as nylon gloves, pipettes, towels, and even in lab chemicals such as sodium polytungstate (Crowther et al, 2014).…”

Starch Granule Yields from Open-Air Metates Unaffected by Environmental Contamination

“…Bedrock metates (Figure 1) are among the most common features in the archaeological record and have the potential to provide evidence for past human lifeways, including foods collected and processed, social gatherings, settlement patterns, land investment, and territorial behavior (Fulkerson and Tushingham 2021;Henry 2020;Lynch 2021;O'Connell et al 1991;Stevens et al 2019;Tinsley et al 2021;Wisely 2016). Some of the earliest documented bedrock metates are at Natufian sites in the Levant region of the Mediterranean between about 15,500 and 11,500 cal BP (Nadel et al 2012).…”