Tweet Date: 2/28/18
Article Date: 3/1/18 (updated)
Article Publisher: Asahi
Article Link: https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASL2X4DZ1L2XUTNB00H.html
Location: Kitamoto City, Saitama Prefecture 埼玉 – 北本
Site Name: Denotame site デーノタメ遺跡
Time Period: Middle Jomon
Object: Large amount of period pottery with attached burnt residue
Why is this interesting/important? Although it is common to find pottery from the Jomon period, organic remains are much more difficult to find. Occasionally though, some food that was being cooked in ceramic vessels is charred in the cooking process. This burnt residue is preserved much better than other remains, and can offer insights into what people were cooking. It allows archaeologists to see one level deeper than normal. We know they made the pots, we know they cooked in them, we might have a good idea of what people were probably eating at a site, but these instances allow us to specifically determine what types of food were being processed and eaten by the people at the site using organic residue analysis.
More information on organic residue analysis can be found here: https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/organic-residue-analysis-and-archaeology/ .