Studies in organic archaeometry. VI1.
Fat analysis sheds light on everyday life in prehistoric Anatolia:
traces of lipids identified in chalcolithic potsherds excavated near Bogazkale, Central Turkey
Fritz Sauter,* Leopold Puchinger,* and Ulf-Dietrich Schoop**
* Vienna University of Technology, Getreidemarkt 9, A-1060 Vienna, Austria
E-mail:
[email protected];
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** University of Tübingen, Schloss Hohentübingen, D-72070 Tübingen, Germany
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(received 06 June 03; accepted 02 Sept 03; published on the web 18 Sept 03)
Abstract
Ca 7500 years old potsherds stemming from a special type of jar were excavated in Central Anatolia. Upon chemical analysis traces of still remaining lipids were found: some fatty acids were identified, permitting the interpretation that the ancient content was a fat of animal origin, which can be considered as milk from ruminants or a dairy produce thereof. This result supports the archaeological hypothesis that such jars were used for the production of dairy produces, thus also giving some indication of the economic basis of chalcolithic life in this area.
Keywords: Archaeometry, prehistoric pottery, chalcolithic, capillary gas chromatography, lipids, fatty acids, milk
General archaeological remarks
The chalcolithic potsherds (dated ca. 5500 BC) which are studied in the present paper for possible traces of fat were excavated at the Central Anatolian site of Yarikkaya,2 where in later times the famous Hittite capital Hattusha was located, near to the present town of Bogazkale. In contrast to the later Bronze Age times, when this region within the large bow of the ancient Halys river (now: Kizilirmak) was densely inhabited (probably mainly due to the occurrence of remarkable metal ore deposits), only small and scattered settlements are known in this area from chalcolithic times.
There are only very limited indications of the economy of chalcolithic settlements in this mountainous region which has been densely forested in prehistoric times, thus rendering all investigations on such topics even more interesting and important for the understanding of the past.
