Organic Residue Analysis in Archaeological Ceramics from Lahuradewa, India:Role of Contaminants

Organic residue, often amorphous or invisible to the naked eye, cannot be characterized by using traditional archaeological techniques. Such residues are a result of plant and animal product processing either by heating or due to mechanical action^1-4. Organic residues, in contrast to the food crusts, are often better preserved in the mineral matrices of the pottery fabric that protect the organic molecules from microbiological degradation^4,5. The biomolecular components of organic residue are used as a tool to identify the source of the residue⁶, and to glean information on economic and subsistence practices associated with prehistoric cultural and technological traditions^4,7-9. This makes organic residue analysis a well-established tool in geoarchaeology.