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Plant foods play an important role in the human diet and the ability to grow, store and extract nutritive potential from plants has had a transformative role in human history. During the Holocene, the invention of thermally resistant ceramic vessels, regarded as a crucial step in human technological progress, provided new opportunities to boil plants such as wild grasses, fully unlocking the potential of such plants as foodstuffs. This allowed a broadening of subsistence bases, increased dietary diversity, a greater variety of nutrients and more stable and palatable foods. Pottery was invented early in north Africa, at c. 12,000 cal BP, where it was first made by semi-sedentary hunter-gatherers, raising questions as to what this early pottery was used for. Combined molecular and isotopic techniques revealed the presence of diagnostic plant lipids, including leaf waxes and seed oils, in pottery from Holocene sites in the Libyan Sahara and Mediterranean north Africa, suggesting the processing of grasses, seeds and aquatic plants. In combination with archaeobotanical evidence from sites across these regions, these data give insights into the wide range of plants exploited in Holocene north Africa, thus providing information on dietary and subsistence practices of human groups across the region and confirming the importance of plant processing in the earliest pottery vessels in both areas.

The Neolithic site of Bylany (CZ) is one of the largest and most thoroughly described Neolithic settlement in Central Europe. Although a comprehensive understanding has been achieved of the household development and pottery assemblage, little is known about household economies, dietary practices and animal exploitation strategies at the site. Nowadays such information can be tracked through the molecular and isotopic composition of organic lipid residues preserved in porous walls of archaeological potsherds (e.g. Cramp et al., 2014; Whelton et al., 2017). The pottery assemblage of Bylany is very abundant and this approach had previously been applied to one of the later settlement phases (later LBK, phase 19) revealing a meat- and plant-based diet and an exploitation of both ruminant and non-ruminant animals. To examine the economy over a longer settlement period of Bylany, ceramic material from the oldest part of the settlement was chosen. More than 130 rim potsherds attributed to the early LBK settlement phases 2 to 5 were analysed using a lipid biomarker approach combining chromatographic, spectrometric and isotopic methods. The analyses revealed that the fats absorbed in the ceramics were well-preserved with almost 90% of the sherds containing lipids. The lipid concentration varied in different vessel shapes with higher concentrations in dishes compared to bowls and jars. The stable carbon isotopic compositions of palmitic and stearic fatty acids, the major fatty acids present in the total lipid extracts, revealed that ruminant carcass products were the predominant animal products processed in the vessels. Plant product processing were confirmed by the presence of fatty alcohols, dicarboxylic acids and terpenic compounds. Detection of biomarkers produced at high temperature confirmed the thermal stress observed in some of the vessels. Although ruminants probably played a dominant role in the early phases of Bylany, as seen in the later phase 19, dairy fat residues were not detected in the analysed potsherds. These results thus shed light on the dietary strategies practiced in Bylany and are in agreement with the studies of other Central European Neolithic sites.

The Republic site is located on the edge of a small coastal cliff at Talmont-Saint-Hilaire in Vendée (France). It is part of an extensive Bell Beaker settlement along the Vendée coast comprising of almost fifteen sites or possible sites over several kilometers. After the discovery of the Republic site in 1968 by Roger Joussaume, several archaeological excavations have been conducted between 1988 and 2015 (Bertrand Poissonnier in 1988, Jean-Maurice Gilbert in 1990, Henri Gandois and Lolita Rousseau in 2014 and 2015). Due to its geographical location, archaeological remains appear regularly on the surface or in cliff sections because of erosion. This paper is an overview of discoveries made in the last 50 years relating to this Bell Beaker settlement area (dated from the end of the late Neolithic to the beginning of the Early Bronze Age), which is characterized by a significant pottery corpus. One of the largest of north-west France, it comprises of 2044 sherds and 13.5 kilograms, at least 140 vessels. This includes 59 Bell Beaker vessels decorated with shell and comb printing, 35 cordoned vessels, two bowls and one spoon. 2 582 lithic artifacts made from small coastal pebbles and vein quartz using bipolar flaking as well as ground stone tools attest to knapping and domestic activities with several small knapping areas being identified. The site also shows some evidence of early copper metalworking including metallic slags and two possible features (although these could also have been features relating to salt production) during the early surveys and excavations. The latest archaeological excavation has shown that the metalworking took place on the site using a previously undocumented technique for the Atlantic façade, namely the smelting of ore in a furnace-vessel. Recent excavations have also provided the opportunity to make a comprehensive study of all of the artifacts, including those that have remained unpublished and to carry out use wear analysis on chipped stone tools, radiocarbon dating and analyses on cuprous elements and organic residues. The site located on the coast could be a short term and extensive domestic occupation. The geographical situation favors specialized activities such as metalworking and a possible salt production and/ or subsistence on foreshore with access to lithic (pebbles, etc.), and fishing resources (shells, fish, etc.), as well as to a navigable network that has undoubtedly fostered trade. It is noteworthy that the few Bell Beaker sites with attested metalworking are located in coastal areas, with the hypothesis that copper ores originated from the Iberian Peninsula. These sites would also have been settlements as metalworking was generally carried out within a domestic context. At Republic, the main domestic area seems to lie outside of the perimeter of the various excavations, unless it has simply disappeared due to coastal erosion, the cliff face having retreated more than 8 meters in the last 30 years. The ongoing documentation of these sites by regular surveying and rescue excavations within the context of coastal erosion, will contribute to a better understanding of the many sites on the Atlantic coast., Le site de la République est localisé en bordure de microfalaise à Talmont-Saint-Hilaire en Vendée (France). Il s’intègre au sein d’un vaste réseau d’occupations campaniformes observable tout le long du littoral vendéen, où près d’une quinzaine de sites sont attestés. Il a été découvert en 1968 par R. Joussaume suite à des prospections de surface et a fait l’objet de plusieurs opérations archéologiques de sauvetage entre 1988 et 2015 (B. Poissonnier en 1988, J.-M. Gilbert en 1990, H. Gandois et L. Rousseau en 2014 et 2015). En effet, il fait face à une érosion marine constante faisant apparaître très régulièrement des vestiges en surface ou en coupe de falaise. Cet article permet de faire le point sur cinquante années de découvertes effectuées sur cette vaste occupation attribuée à la culture campaniforme. Cette dernière se caractérise par un important lot de céramiques (l’un des plus conséquents pour le nord-ouest de la France : vases décorés à la coquille et au peigne et vases à cordons) et de pièces lithiques (débitage par percussion posée sur enclume, outils macrolithiques liés à des activités domestiques et de taille et amas de débitage), mais aussi par des indices d’une métallurgie cuprifère précoce. Cette dernière a été reconnue dès les interventions anciennes par la présence de scories et de deux structures possiblement associées (même si l’hypothèse de structures à sel peut être aussi suggérée). Les dernières fouilles ont permis de montrer que cette activité a été menée in situ par le biais d’une technique inédite pour la façade atlantique, à savoir la réduction du minerai dans un vase-four. Enfin, les fouilles récentes ont été l’occasion d’apporter un nouveau regard sur ce site majeur, d’étudier l’intégralité du mobilier archéologique dont une grande partie était restée jusqu’alors inédite, ainsi que de réaliser de nouvelles analyses scientifiques (tracéologie, datation 14C, analyses des éléments cuivreux et des résidus de cuisson dans les céramiques)., Rousseau Lolita, Gandois Henri, Favrel Quentin, Cuenca solana David, Dupont Catherine, Garnier Nicolas, Guéret Colas, Laforge Marine, Poissonnier Bertrand, Vigneau T. Cinquante ans après la découverte : état des connaissances et apport des fouilles récentes sur le site campaniforme de la République à Talmont- Saint-Hilaire (Vendée). In: Bulletin de la Société préhistorique française, tome 117, n°1, 2020. pp. 47-84.

With the arrival of the Early Neolithic Globular Amphora and Corded Ware cultures into the southeastern Baltic, ca. 2900/2800–2400 cal BC, a new type of economy was introduced, animal husbandry. However, the degree to which this transformed the subsistence economy is unknown. Here, we conducted organic residue analyses of 64 ceramic vessels to identify their contents. The vessels were sampled from 10 Lithuanian archaeological sites dating across the Subneolithic-Neolithic transition to the Early Bronze Age (ca. 2900/2800–1300 cal BC). Our results demonstrate that regardless of location or vessel type, many ceramics were used to process aquatic resources. Against our expectations, this association continued even after marked economic change concurrent with the migration of pastoralists from central and southeastern Europe, as evidenced by recent ancient DNA analysis of human remains. Moreover, we observed dairy fats in pottery from all cultures of the Early Neolithic (i.e. Rzucewo, Globular Amphora and Corded Ware) but unlike other regions of Europe, it seems that these were incorporated into indigenous culinary practices. Furthermore, some vessels were used to process plant foods, and others may have been used for the production and/or storage of birch bark tar. However, evidence for domesticated plant processing, for example millet, was absent. We show that organic residue analysis of pottery provides a different picture of past consumption patterns compared to the stable isotope analysis of human remains from isolated burials where a clear dietary shift is evident. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s12520-019-00804-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Ceramic containers, intentionally deposited into wetlands, offer detailed insights into Early Neolithic culinary practices. Additionally, they are key for ascertaining the Neolithisation process in Denmark since they appear to form a typo-chronological sequence. Here, we use a combination of organic residue analysis (ORA) of pottery alongside Bayesian chronological modelling of the radiocarbon dates obtained on these vessels to explore the initial stages of votive deposition in wetlands, a practice that stretches from the Mesolithic to the onset of Christianity in Northern Europe. We consider 34 Early-Middle Neolithic (c. 3900–2350 cal BC) ‘bog pots’ from Denmark, of which 20 have ORA data, and 26 have been dated directly. Carbonised surface residues and absorbed lipids from powdered sherds were analysed using a combination of bulk carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and GC-combustion-isotope ratio MS (GC-C-IRMS). The molecular and isotopic compositions of the analysed samples revealed the presence of aquatic, ruminant carcass and dairy fats as well as plant waxes with the majority containing mixtures thereof. Dairy fats were present from the onset of the Funnel Beaker culture, whilst aquatic foods, prevalent at the close of the preceding Mesolithic period, continued to be processed in pottery for the following thousand years.

Long-chain ω-(o-alkylphenyl)alkanoic acids (APAAs) derived from the heating of unsaturated fatty acids have been widely used for the identification of aquatic products in archaeological ceramic vessels. To date, little attention has been paid to the diagnostic potential of shorter chain (< C20) APAAs, despite their frequent occurrence. Here, a range of laboratory and field experiments and analyses of archaeological samples were undertaken to investigate whether APAAs could be used to further differentiate different commodities. The results provide new insights about the conditions for the formation of APAAs and enable the proposition of novel criteria to distinguish different natural products.

This study compares chloroform/methanol extraction and acidic methanol extraction of neutral compounds in absorbed lipid pottery residues from fourteen archaeological sherds. Previous studies have established that fatty acid extraction is more effective with acidic methanol extraction. This study suggests that acidic methanol extraction of neutral compounds, including sterols, alkanols, alkanes, and terpenoids, is more effective than or comparable to chloroform/methanol solvent extraction in most cases. The acidic methanol method extracts sterols, terpenoids, and alkanes more effectively than or comparably to chloroform/methanol extraction.

The invention of pottery was a fundamental technological advancement with far-reaching economic and cultural consequences. Pottery containers first emerged in East Asia during the Late Pleistocene in a wide range of environmental settings, but became particularly prominent and much more widely dispersed after climatic warming at the start of the Holocene. Some archaeologists argue that this increasing usage was driven by environmental factors, as warmer climates would have generated a wider range of terrestrial plant and animal resources that required processing in pottery. However, this hypothesis has never been directly tested. Here, in one of the largest studies of its kind, we conducted organic residue analysis of >800 pottery vessels selected from 46 Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene sites located across the Japanese archipelago to identify their contents. Our results demonstrate that pottery had a strong association with the processing of aquatic resources, irrespective of the ecological setting. Contrary to expectations, this association remained stable even after the onset of Holocene warming, including in more southerly areas, where expanding forests provided new opportunities for hunting and gathering. Nevertheless, the results indicate that a broader array of aquatic resources was processed in pottery after the start of the Holocene. We suggest this marks a significant change in the role of pottery of hunter-gatherers, corresponding to an increased volume of production, greater variation in forms and sizes, the rise of intensified fishing, the onset of shellfish exploitation, and reduced residential mobility.

Organic residue analyses of archaeological ceramics can provide important insights into ancient foodways. To date, however, there has been little critical reflection on how lipid residues might (or might not) reflect dietary practices or subsistence strategies more generally. A combination of ethnoarchaeological research and chemical and isotopic analyses of lipid residues from pottery made and used by modern Samburu pastoralists in northern Kenya was undertaken to supplement the interpretive framework used in archaeological investigations. A total of 63 potsherds were collected from various contexts, including settlement sites and rockshelters, and analysed using gas chromatography (GC), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and gas chromatography-combustion-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC-C-IRMS). The results showed that the free fatty acids, palmitic (C16:0) and stearic (C18:0), dominated the lipid profiles, with extremely broad ranges of δ13C values. The majority of the Δ13C values from Samburu pots suggest that vessels were intensively used to process ruminant carcass products, yet the Samburu economy is not, in fact, meat-based at all. Despite an overall reliance on dairy products, milk is rarely processed in ceramic vessels, largely due to cultural prohibitions. Surprisingly, a number of vessels from one site, Naiborkeju Hill, were used to process dairy products. Compound-specific radiocarbon dating of lipids from these sherds suggests that this pottery originated from an earlier period, demonstrating a possible shift in ceramic use by pastoralist communities in this region over time. The overall conclusion is that lipid residues may not necessarily reflect, in a simple way, the day-to-day consumption or the perceived relative importance of different foodstuffs. In the Samburu case, lipid residues reflect the functional and ideological suitability of ceramics for processing only certain types of food (meat/fat/bones), despite an overall reliance on milk. These conclusions are important when considering the origins and development of African pastoralism, for example, as interpreted from the archaeological record.

International audience; The excavation of the protohistoric site of Cuciurpula (South Corsica, France) revealed a significant amount of potsherds, often bearing visible surface crusts, sometimes very thick. This exceptional case in the Mediterranean region, suggesting a good preservation of organic substances, provided a unique opportunity to address questions related to pottery function and natural organic substances exploited in Corsica during the first half of the 1st millennium BC. The molecular analysis (GC and GC/MS) of organic residues from three houses of the site, preserved in both pottery walls and charred surface crusts, highlighted the wide diversity and the various roles of substances contained and processed in ceramic vessels: animal fats, plant oils and waxes, beeswax, and conifer resin. These molecular data, considered together with the shapes of the vessels and their location into the habitation units, revealed the diversity of pottery function (culinary and technical) and spatial organisation of domestic activities between houses or in a house (distinction between storage and cooking areas).

Ova disertacija bavi se istraživanjem prehrane neolitičkog stanovništva na području današnje Hrvatske. Također se dotiče i upotrebe keramičkih posuda. Obuhvaća vremenski period čitavog neolitika na području istočne jadranske obale (kultura impreso-keramike, danilska i hvarska kultura) i unutrašnjosti, odnosno istočne Hrvatske (starčevačka, sopotska i vinčanska kultura te eneolitičke lasinjska i kultura Retz-Gajary). Glavna je pretpostavka da se prehrana prapovijesnih ljudi razlikuje u vremenu (tijekom neolitika i eneolitika) i u prostoru (između Dalmacije i istočne Hrvatske) te će se razlike reflektirati i u organskim ostatcima na keramičkim posudama. Ciljevi rada su dobiti nove rezultate analiza organskih ostataka iz keramičkih posuda i kombinirati ih s poznatim podatcima o prehrani (životinjski i biljni ostatci) i znanjima o tipologiji keramičkog materijala da bi se dobila potpunija slika o prehrani neolitičkih zajednica i kad je to moguće upotrebi pojedinih keramičkih oblika. Analizirano je ukupno 180 ulomaka keramičkih posuda (127 iz neolitika i 53 iz eneolitika). Od neolitičkih ulomaka, 55 ih je iz Dalmacije, a 73 iz istočne Hrvatske, svi eneolitički ulomci su iz istočne Hrvatske. Lipidi su iz svih ulomaka ekstrahirani metodom direktne ekstrakcije kiselinom i analizirani plinskom kromatografijom – masenom spektrometrijom, a na 63 odabrana ulomka analizirani su i izotopi 13C na palmitinskoj i stearinskoj kiselini. Očuvanost lipida bolja je u istočnoj Hrvatskoj (60%) nego u Dalmaciji (47,3%), a u Dalmaciji je najviše lipida sačuvano u ranom neolitiku, zatim u srednjem, pa u kasnom, dok u istočnoj Hrvatskoj očuvanost lipida raste od ranoga neolitika prema eneolitiku. Najviše je lipida sačuvano na trbusima i obodima posuda koji su i najbrojniji, ali se ne može primijetiti specijalizacija ili favoriziranje pojedinih oblika posuda za određenu namjenu te su različite vrste životinjskih i biljnih masti zabilježene i na loncima i zdjelama te na drugim oblicima posuda. Tvari otkrivene analizom lipida ponešto se razlikuju u prostoru i vremenu, a reflektiraju i ono što je pronađeno u ostatcima životinjskih kostiju i biljnim ostatcima. Na keramičkim posudama pronađeni su tragovi životinjskih masti (adipoznih masti preživača i nepreživača), mliječnih masti, biljnih ostataka i mogućeg pčelinjeg voska. Razlike u prehrani između Dalmacije i istočne Hrvatske ogledaju se u prevlasti ovce/koze u Dalmaciji i goveda u istočnoj Hrvatskoj i nepostojanju masti nepreživača (svinja) u Dalmaciji, iako su svinje zabilježene u ostatcima faune te većem značenju mlijeka u Dalmaciji gdje je ono pristuno tijekom čitavog neolitika dok je u istočnoj Hrvatskoj, osim na jednom ranoneolitičkom uzorku, prisutno tek u eneolitiku. U Dalmaciji su razlike u vremenu vrlo suptilne i nisu zabilježene u ostatcima lipida, dok su u istočnoj Hrvatskoj vidljivije. Masti nepreživača (svinje) pronađene su samo u kasnom neolitiku i ranom eneolitiku, a mliječne masti pronađene su u eneolitiku te na jednom ulomku iz ranoga neolitika. Razlike u biljnim ostatcima nisu vidljive ni u prostoru ni u vremenu, a divlje životinje i riba nisu zabilježene ni na jednom ulomku keramike, iako su pronađene u ostatcima faune This dissertation explores the dietary habits of Neolithic populations in modern day Croatia, as well as possible use of ceramic vessels. It covers the entire Neolithic period on the eastern Adriatic coast (impressed ware pottery , Danilo, Hvar cultures) and the continental eastern Croatia (Starčevo, Sopot and Vinča cultures) and part of Eneolithic in eastern Croatia (Lasinja and Retz-Gajary cultures). The main hypothesis is that the diet of prehistoric people varied over time (during the Neolithic and Eneolithic), and space (between Dalmatia and Eastern Croatia), and that the difference will be reflected in organic residues on ceramic vessels. The aim of the research is to obtain new results of the organic residue analysis of pottery and to combine them with published data about prehistoric diets (animal and plant remains) and the ceramic typology in order to access a more complete picture of the diet of Neolithic communities and, where possible, use of certain ceramic shape. We also tried to determine to what extent the organic residues were preserved, to identify them and to establish whether milk and dairy products were used. In total, 180 pottery shards were analysed. 127 of them were from the Neolithic and 53 from the Eneolithic. 55 Neolithic shards are from Dalmatia and 73 from Eastern Croatia, while all the Eneolithic shards are from Eastern Croatia. 26 shards were from the time of impressoceramic culture (10 from Pokrovnik, 10 from Konjevrate, 6 from Vela spila), 6 from the time of Danilo culture (Vela Spila) and 23 from the time of Hvar culture (11 from Čista Mala - Velištak, 12 from Vela Spila). 20 shards are from the time of Starčevo culture (9 from Galovo, 11 from Vinkovci - tel Tržnica), 20 shards from the time of Sopot culture (10 from Sopot, 10 from Slavča) and 32 shards of Vinča culture from Bapka-Gradac. 5 Eneolithic shards belong to the Lasinja culture from Čepinski Martinci, and to 48 to Retz-Gajary culture (28 from Čeminac-Vakanjac, 20 from Ivandvor). All the lipids were extracted using direct acid extraction (Correa-Ascencio and Evershed 2014) and analysed by gas chromatography – mass spectrometry. 63 selected samples were additionally analysed by GC-C-IRMS (analysis of 13C isotope on palmitic and stearic acids) to determine the origin of the organic residue. The results of the isotope analysis were compared with published data for the neighbouring areas and combined with the results of the analysis of modern fats from Croatia. The preservation of lipids is better in Eastern Croatia (60%) than in Dalmatia (47.3%), which was expected given the fact that many studies have shown that lipid preservation in the eastern Mediterranean is generally low and is increasing to the North and the West, as well as towards Central Europe where it is generally over 50% (e.g. Debono Spiteri 2012; Ethier et al. 2017). The preservation of lipids by time period shows the opposite picture in Dalmatia and Eastern Croatia. In Dalmatia the greatest amount of lipids is preserved in the early Neolithic, then in the Middle and late Neolithic lipids are least well preserved. While in Eastern Croatia, the amount of preserved lipids is increasing from the early Neolithic to the Eneolithic. Most lipids are preserved in the rims and bodies of vessels which are also the most numerous vessel parts analysed. In the Early Neolithic the most abundant pottery types are various shapes of hemispherical bowls which also contain different kinds of lipids (animal, diary and plant fats). At the time of the late Neolithic various bowls, pots, and other types of vessels - strainers and pans) were used for the preparation, storage and consumption of meat as well as other foods (plants and possibly honey) and no specialization could be observed for the use of certain forms. The same is true for Eneolithic, there is no specialization in use or favouring certain pottery types for a particular purpose and different types of animal and vegetable fats were found in all kinds of vessels. Interestingly, remains of dairy fats were also found in a jug and a cup that are normally associated with liquid manipulation, while possible beeswax was found in a strainer. Substances discovered by lipid analysis differ somewhat in space and time and reflect what has been found in animal and plant remains. The diet of prehistoric peoples in the present-day Croatia consisted mainly of foods that they raised and grew themselves but they were sometimes supplemented by hunting and gathering. It included meat of different animals (mostly sheep/goats, cattle and pigs depending on the area and period), grains, legumes, fruit, leafy vegetables and possibly honey and fish. Traces of these foods were found in the remains of fauna, carbonated plant remains and organic residues absorbed in pottery vessels. The organic residues include remains of milk (and/or other dairy products), leafy vegetables and possible beeswax (honey). Mixing residues from different sources in the same containers gives us the insight into what could have been prepared and eaten together, or at least the fact that some pots were used several times to cook or store a variety of different foods. Differences in diet between Dalmatia and Eastern Croatia are mainly reflected in the prevalence of sheep/goats in Dalmatia and cattle in eastern Croatia and the absence of non-ruminant fats on pottery vessels in Dalmatia, although pigs are recorded in faunal remains, and the use of milk and dairy which was more prevalent in the Neolithic of Dalmatia, while in Eastern Croatia it becomes more widespread in the Eneolithic times. In Dalmatia, the differences in time are very subtle and are not recorded in lipid residues, while in eastern Croatia they are more visible. Non-ruminant fats (pigs) were found only in the late Neolithic and early Eneolithic periods, indicating that they were of greater importance at those times but they were present in faunal remains in other time periods. Dairy fats were found only in the Eneolithic and probably on a shard from the Early Neolithic but this does not prove that they were not used in the meantime. Differences in plant residues are not visible in neither space nor time, and wild animals or fish (marine or freshwater) have not been recorded in any pottery samples.

Information on medieval diet and subsistence practices has traditionally been compiled from a combination of documentary sources, faunal and archaeobotanical assemblages, together with other information gained from archaeological excavations. Much is known of high status medieval dietary practices but less about what foodstuffs the medieval peasantry consumed. Here, we examine the everyday dietary practices of people living in a small medieval manor and associated hamlet at West Cotton, Raunds, Northamptonshire. For the first time, a combined molecular and isotopic approach on absorbed residues, from the substantial pottery assemblage covering a period of around 500 years, was utilised to integrate information on the commodities processed in the vessels, together with detail from the faunal assemblage, archaeobotanical, archaeological and documentary information relating to the site. Lipid residue results from the pottery, mainly jars, identified the importance of ruminant carcass products and leafy vegetables, likely used to prepare the stews or potages known to be the mainstay of the medieval diet, and confirmed by the dominance of sheep and cattle in the faunal assemblage. Around one quarter of the vessels were used to process solely dairy products and some evidence of porcine product processing was found, although this may be under-represented at the site. In brief, this project provided a unique opportunity to address questions of diet and animal husbandry by medieval peasants and helped illustrate agricultural production and consumption in the middle ages.

Plant resins, tars and organic fossil substances provide valuable insights into the ecological, environmental and cultural contexts of ancient societies. Their study offers evidence of past know-how, production systems, socio-economic networks and mobility. In this paper, we present new data from 16 sites located in the North-West Mediterranean that provide new insights into the exploitation of these substances for their adhesive and hydrophobic properties throughout the Neolithic (6000-2500 cal BCE). The substances investigated are discussed in the light of their molecular composition, their uses and manufacturing processes. Spatial analyses were also performed to elucidate raw material procurement strategies. This study considerably increases the body of data available from the Mediterranean and tells a diachronic story of adhesive production and use throughout the Neolithic, highlighting the variability and complexity of production systems and supply networks at different spatial scales. While most adhesive and hydrophobic substances were probably collected locally, birch bark tar was very likely transported across long distances to reach Mediterranean coastal sites. Birch bark tar exploitation intensified in South-Eastern France during the Middle Neolithic, while the Late Neolithic is characterised by a diversification of the substances employed and their range of uses: bitumen, birch bark tar (pure or mixed with Pinaceae resin, beeswax and possibly fat/oil) were important materials that were used for a variety of purposes. Pure Pinaceae exudates were exclusively employed for waterproofing pottery. We also highlight the standardisation of birch bark tar production for adhesive manufacture observed in Provence during the first part of the 4th millennium cal. BCE., The authors thank the French National Research Agency (ANR) for the funding of the project Exsudarch (2010-2014, M. Regert dir.) which allowed extensive diachronic interdisciplinary investigations on plant exudates and tars as well as researching the biogeography of plant raw materials. We are also grateful to the Academy 5 of the IDEXJEDI from UCA (Université Côte d’Azur), to the MSHS sud-est, to the CNRS-INEE and to the CEPAM for funding the research project ARCHEOPLANTES (2018-2020, M. Regert dir.). The results presented here were obtained during the PhD of Maxime Rageot, funded by the PACA Region, the CNRS and the Université Côte d’Azur; may they find here the expression of our sincere thanks. We are grateful to Nolan Ferar for proofreading the article. Finally, we would like to thank the two reviewers for their constructive suggestions which helped to improve the quality of this article.

The understanding of pottery form and function can provide valuable insights into determining aspects of daily life, including the relationship between food, society and culture, in ancient groups. On a broader scale, it offers longer-term perspectives on craft specialisation, knowledge-exchange, technological innovation and economic development. Organic residue analysis has long contributed to a wide range of archaeological questions but is most notably known for its contribution to elucidating diet and animal management strategies worldwide. Here, we both discuss, and provide an overview of, the potential in examining relationships between form and function using organic residue analysis of pottery assemblages, as vessel attributes such as fabrication, capacity, style and shape are often related to the commodities processed within them. Our subsequent investigation of a medieval pottery assemblage, from West Cotton, Raunds, provides valuable insights into vessel use and specialisation. The two main pottery forms found at the site were highly specialised, with bowls (or cantels) likely being used as measures in grain processing, while jars were mainly employed for cooking stews and potages consisting of sheep or cattle carcass meats and, occasionally, leafy vegetables, such as cabbages and leeks. The jugs and pitchers did not contain any lipid residues suggesting they were used solely for holding water or some other aqueous liquid. Less commonly used vessels also appear to have had specialised uses, including spouted bowls, likely employed to render fat or clarify butter and an inturned-rim bowl, used for the mixing of tallow and beeswax, possibly for use as an illuminant, sealant or lubricant. Lipid residue results demonstrate that each vessel type had a defined function and was perfectly specialised to its use, well-adapted for the processing, cooking, storage, serving and transportation of food and liquids, as required by the West Cotton peasant for day-to-day dining.

Hamanaka 2 is a multi-phase coastal site in Rebun Island with a ~ 3000-year occupation sequence extending from the final-stage Jōmon and Okhotsk to the Ainu Culture period (1050 BCE-1850 CE). To examine long-term trends in food processing at the site, we collected 66 ceramic sherds across six distinct cultural layers from the Final Jōmon to the Late Okhotsk period for lipid residue analysis. Given the site's beachfront location in an open bay, with ready access to abundant maritime resources, we predicted that the pottery would consistently have been used to process aquatic resources throughout all cultural periods. Though aquatic lipids dominated across the site sequence, the history of pottery use at the site proved more complex. Evidence of plant processing was found in all cultural phases, and from the Epi-Jōmon/Late Final Jōmon transition onwards 30% of the vessels were being used to process mixed dishes that combined both marine and terrestrial resources. By the start of the Okhotsk phase, separate sets of resources were being processed in different pots, suggesting functional differentiation in the use of pottery, and the rise of new kinds of cuisine – including the processing of millet. We tentatively explain these results as a consequence of the growing incorporation of Rebun Island into wider regional trade and interaction networks, which brought new kinds of resources and different social dynamics to Northern Hokkaido in the Late Holocene.

L’aparició i difusió del mode de vida neolític constituí un esdeveniment que afectà profundament les societats humanes. La recerca centrada en els canvis econòmics del pas de la caça i la recol·lecció a l’agricultura i la ramaderia suggereix que les practiques culinàries es podrien haver vist igualment afectades. Menjar és un acte social que transcendeix la satisfacció d’una necessitat biològica i, per tant, el seu estudi ofereix una oportunitat única d’obtenir noves dades sobre la relació entre les esferes econòmiques i culturals de la societat. Una nova onada de recerca està revelant noves dades sobre les possibles practiques culinàries practicades a l‘inici del neolític europeu, però l’oest de la branca mediterrània de la difusió del neolític, la Península Ibèrica, encara no està prou ben estudiada. Les característiques de l’escarpada costa mediterrània oferiren a les primeres societats agrícoles de mitjans del VI a mitjans del V mil·lenni Cal BC l’oportunitat de modificar lleugerament les seves estratègies econòmiques per adaptar-se a aquest nou territori. En conseqüència, aquesta tesi doctoral ha avaluat la rellevància de productes vegetals i animals en les pràctiques culinàries del neolític antic explorant selectivament tècniques culinàries més fàcilment practicables gràcies a l’ús de la ceràmica i aliments possiblement lligats al tal paisatge: productes secundaris d’ovicaprins i recursos marins. Amb tal fi, hem caracteritzat químicament i avaluat amb models bayesians l’existència de lípids conservats dins matrius ceràmiques en 14 jaciments costaners del nord-est de la Península Ibèrica. Un total de 114 fragments ceràmics Cardials i 74 d’Epicardials han estat analitzats i un 82% han retornat lípids molt probablement resultat de la degradació de greixos animals. Tot i que la cerca de biomarcadors específics per a aliments vegetals i marins necessitarà encara d’un treball més profund, mostres presentant evidències de menjar escalfat a temperatures superiors a 250ºC suggereixen l’existència de pràctiques culinàries que impliquen temperatures més altes de les necessàries per bullir o estofar. A més, l’anàlisi isotòpic de compostos específics ha revelat que l’existència de greixos làctics de remugants i greixos adiposos d’animals no remugants és mútuament excloent en els jaciments estudiats. A diferència del Mediterrani central, les coves analitzades al nord-est de la Península Ibèrica no semblen presentar quantitats majors de residus làctics de remugants comparat amb jaciments a l’aire lliure. Alternativament, s’ha detectat una possible correlació entre la quantitat de restes d’ovicaprins i la intensitat de la senyal làctica als residus. Aquest fet dona suport a l’existència d’un canvi respecte l’estratègia d’obtenció de la llet al. Proper Orient, probablement centrada en els bòvids, i reforça el paper d’altres espècies més ben adaptades a les condicions del mediterrani. Addicionalment, la no associació entre el nombre de restes de porc i els residus adiposos d’animals no remugants implica la possible existència de pràctiques culinàries on els atuells ceràmics no hi estarien involucrats. En conclusió, les dades d’aquesta regió donen suport a la possible existència de pràctiques culinàries específiques del mediterrani com a mínim des del primer Neolític. Com a conseqüència d’aquesta recerca, queda palesa la importància de poder desenvolupar anàlisis addicionals capaços de diferenciar els residus làctics a nivell d’espècie. A més, aprofundir en l’estudi de residus no comestibles com la resina de pi perm The appearance and spread of the Neolithic way of life constituted an event which profoundly affected humankind. Research on the economic changes of the shift from hunting and gathering to agriculture and pastoralism suggests that culinary practices would have been equally affected. Beyond the fulfilment of a biological need, eating is a social act whose study offers the opportunity to gain insights into the relationship between the economic and cultural spheres of society. A new wave of research is revealing new data on the possible culinary practices in the early Neolithic across Europe, but the western end of the Mediterranean neolithisation path remains poorly understood. The idiosyncrasies of its abrupt maritime landscape provided a number of opportunities for the newly arrived farmers and shepherds to tune their economic strategies to this new territory. Therefore, this PhD research aims at evaluating the relevance of terrestrial and marine animal and plant products within the Early Neolithic culinary practices by selectively exploring culinary techniques facilitated by the appearance of pottery as a cooking tool and foodstuffs which may be linked with the landscape: marine resources and ovicaprine secondary products. To this end, we have chemically characterized and evaluated with bayesian mixing models the occurrence of lipid distributions embedded in pottery from 14 archaeological coastal sites across the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula. A total of 114 Cardial and 76 Epicardial pottery fragments have been analysed, of which 82% yielded lipids most probably originating from degraded animal fats. Although the search for specific plant and marine biomarkers did not yield significant results, samples containing evidences of food heating beyond 250ºC suggest that the presence of cooking practices which would have reached temperatures higher than those in boiling or stewing. Furthermore, compound- specific carbon isotopic analyses have revealed that the presence of ruminant dairy and non-ruminant adipose fats in archaeological sites is mutually exclusive. Contrary to the case in the central Mediterranean, pottery in caves from the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula did not present higher quantities of ruminant dairy residues than its open-air counterparts. Alternatively, a positive correlation could be detected between the ovicaprine archaeozoological record and the intensity of the dairy isotopic signal. This evidence supports the existence of a shift from cattle milking in the Middle East to the additional secondary management of other species such as sheep or goats in the Mediterranean. Moreover, the lack of association between pig remains and non-ruminant adipose signals implies the possible existence of culinary practices in which pottery was not involved. In conclusion, data from this region supports the notion of Mediterranean-specific culinary practices from at least as early as the first Neolithic. As a consequence of this research, it becomes increasingly more relevant to develop additional analyses capable of differentiating dairy residues at the species level. Additionally, further studies on non-edible organic residues including conifer resins may be able to inform the additional uses the first pottery in the Iberian Peninsula might have had.

Archaeological potsherds have become a valuable source of information about diet and the wider economies of ancient communities, especially through the analysis of lipids preserved in the microporous matrix of the ceramic vessels. This study investigated > 160 potsherds recovered from settlement phase 19 dated to 5160–5100 cal. BC from the Neolithic site of Bylany, one of the largest Linearbandkeramik (LBK) settlement in Central Europe. The aim was to investigate vessel use and animal management at the site and explore variations in organic residue composition and thus human activity at the household level. Pottery technology was also studied revealing a predominance of micro- and mesopores, indicating an advanced level of pottery production technology. > 70% of the analysed potsherds yielded appreciable amounts of lipids dominated by C 16:0 and C 18:0 fatty acids, with compound-specific carbon isotope compositions indicating origins predominantly from ruminant and non-ruminant animal fats. Detection of very long fatty acids, fatty alcohols and traces of terpene compounds originating from plants suggested a combination of meat- and plant-based diet components and specialised use of some vessels. However, evidence of the use of vessels for milk collection or processing was not detectable at Bylany, at least during the settlement phase investigated herein.

Providing evidence of dairying is crucial to the understanding of the development and intensification of Neolithic farming practices in Europe, beyond the early stages of domestication. Until recently, research in this field had been limited to traditional archaeological methods, such as the study of pottery styles, faunal remains and specialised material artefacts. Although suggestive, these methods are unable to provide direct evidence of dairying. Advances in biomolecular methods now allow the identification of remnants of dairy products on ceramic vessels and the application of these methods to Neolithic ceramic assemblages across Europe is underway. There is no doubt that these new methods offer much scope for investigating hypotheses such as the ‘secondary products revolution’, but there are limitations. The cost of analyses prohibits indiscriminate sampling and differential survival is likely to prevent direct comparison of samples from different sites. Only by incorporating these techniques within the wider frameworks of archaeological research may theories be properly tested. Approaches to achieve this goal are discussed.