CERES

From CERamic RESidues to the economic and social context of early pottery use in North Eastern North America

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'It is not known why people started to produce pottery. Once associated with the advent of agriculture and village life, ceramic vessels are now known to have been produced well before any evidence for food production in many parts of the world. This project will identify patterns of early pottery uses in North Eastern North America, one region where pre-agricultural pottery has emerged as a problem with broad social and economic implications. Focusing on ceramic assemblages selected from a diversity of ecological and cultural contexts, the hypotheses that nuts, seeds, terrestrial mammals, aquatic resources, and/or early cultigens were processed in these pots will be tested using state-of-the-art methods in organic residue analysis.

As no facilities for the organic residue analysis are available in Canada, the candidate seeks to carry out the project at the University of York which has facilities for lipid analysis and plant microfossil characterization of organic residues within BioArCh, an inter-disciplinary research centre dedicated to work on ancient biomolecules. Furthermore, the candidate will join the Early Pottery Research Group which is already pursing the question of the use of Early Pottery in Europe and Asia.

The mobility of the candidate will allow the group to address the question of pottery innovation and look for common motivations across three continents and create the conditions for an enduring partnership beyond the end of the fellowship. The candidate’s expertise in pottery analysis and her extensive existing collaborative network are essential to achieve these aims. As well as the long term benefits, the project has the potential to make an immediate impact by addressing a major question in North American prehistory and thereby showcasing European excellence in this field.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

Early pottery remnants from north-eastern North America are proof that vessels were used for large gatherings. Scientific evidence gathered from their organic residues confirms findings.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Ceramic vessels were always thought to be associated with the beginning of agriculture and village life. New findings from archaeological and molecular data collected in north-eastern North America on early pottery have dispelled this idea.

Scientists on the CERES project investigated ceramic residues in the economic and social context of early pottery use in the area to assess new information. They considered the reasons for which people were using pottery and compared interpretations about pottery usage across different regions.

Organic deposits and absorbed gas residues in the ceramic vessel shards under study were analysed specifically for answering questions about pottery usage. Sixty-five of 400 potsherds suitable for examination were analysed.

The samples of pottery found near the coast clearly made sense as they supported the notion of vessels being used to carry seafood. Shards found inland needed several types of analyses and showed both coastal and inland site residues of marine or freshwater origins. Surprisingly, the inland shards did not show evidence of nearby flora and fauna.

Based on this archaeological information and new molecular evidence, it seems that some early pottery sites were important focal points for large seasonal gatherings. Significantly, the popularity of ceramic vessels functioned out of necessity for harvesting seasonal marine and freshwater species. Events such as a spawning season would prompt a social gathering of several bands of people to cooperatively harvest the marine life.

This project enhanced understanding of North American pre-history, going well beyond any American-led research to date. CERES increased the visibility of European researchers and supported student training, which also furthers collaborations between European and North American researchers.

Important strides have been made in the larger anthropological issues related to culture and artefacts as well as core methods of organic residue analysis. These are transferable to numerous current environmental projects such as those assessing land contamination or the impact of agriculture practices on soil fertility.