The pressures on honeybee (Apis mellifera) populations, resulting from threats by modern pesticides, parasites, predators and diseases, have raised awareness of the economic importance and critical role this insect plays in agricultural... more
The pressures on honeybee (Apis mellifera) populations, resulting from threats by modern pesticides, parasites, predators and diseases, have raised awareness of the economic importance and critical role this insect plays in agricultural societies across the globe. However, the association of humans with A. mellifera predates post-industrial-revolution agriculture, as evidenced by the widespread presence of ancient Egyptian bee iconography dating to the Old Kingdom (approximately 2400 BC). There are also indications of Stone Age people harvesting bee products; for example, honey hunting is
interpreted from rock art in a prehistoric Holocene context and
a beeswax find in a pre-agriculturalist site. However, when and
where the regular association of A. mellifera with agriculturalists emerged is unknown. One of the major products of A. mellifera is beeswax, which is composed of a complex suite of lipids including n-alkanes, n-alkanoic acids and fatty acyl wax esters. The composition is highly constant as it is determined genetically through the insect’s biochemistry. Thus, the chemical ‘fingerprint’ of beeswax provides a reliable basis for detecting this commodity in organic residues preserved at archaeological sites, which we now use to trace the exploitation by humans of A. mellifera temporally and spatially. Here we present secure identifications of beeswax in lipid residues preserved in pottery vessels of Neolithic Old World farmers. The geographical range of bee product exploitation is traced in Neolithic Europe, the Near East and North Africa, providing the palaeoecological range of honeybees during prehistory. Temporally, we demonstrate that bee products were
exploited continuously, and probably extensively in some regions, at least from the seventh millennium cal BC, likely fulfilling a variety of technological and cultural functions. The close association of A. mellifera with Neolithic farming communities dates to the early onset of agriculture and may provide evidence for the beginnings of a domestication process.
Authors: Roffet-Salque, M., Regert, M., Evershed, R. P., Outram, A. K., Cramp, L. J. E., Decavallas, O., Dunne, J., Gerbault, P., Mileto, S., Mirabaud, S., Pääkkönen, M., Smyth, J., Šoberl, L., Whelton, H. L., Alday-Ruiz, A., Asplund, H., Bartkowiak, M., Bayer-Niemeier, E., Belhouchet, L., Bernardini, F., Budja, M., Cooney, G., Cubas, M., Danaher, E. M., Diniz, M., Domboróczki, L., Fabbri, C., González-Urquijo, J. E., Guilaine, J., Hachi, S., Hartwell, B. N., Hofmann, D., Hohle, I., Ibáñez, J. J., Karul, N., Kherbouche, F., Kiely, J., Kotsakis, K., Lueth, F., Mallory, J. P., Manen, C., Marciniak, A., Maurice-Chabard, B., Mc Gonigle, M. A., Mulazzani, S., Özdoğan, M., Perić, O. S., Perić, S. R., Petrasch, J., Pétrequin, A.-M., Pétrequin, P., Poensgen, U., Pollard, C. J., Poplin, F., Radi, G., Stadler, P., Stäuble, H., Tasić, N., Urem-Kotsou, D., Vuković, J. B., Walsh, F., Whittle, A., Wolfram, S., Zapata-Peña, L. and Zoughlami, J.
interpreted from rock art in a prehistoric Holocene context and
a beeswax find in a pre-agriculturalist site. However, when and
where the regular association of A. mellifera with agriculturalists emerged is unknown. One of the major products of A. mellifera is beeswax, which is composed of a complex suite of lipids including n-alkanes, n-alkanoic acids and fatty acyl wax esters. The composition is highly constant as it is determined genetically through the insect’s biochemistry. Thus, the chemical ‘fingerprint’ of beeswax provides a reliable basis for detecting this commodity in organic residues preserved at archaeological sites, which we now use to trace the exploitation by humans of A. mellifera temporally and spatially. Here we present secure identifications of beeswax in lipid residues preserved in pottery vessels of Neolithic Old World farmers. The geographical range of bee product exploitation is traced in Neolithic Europe, the Near East and North Africa, providing the palaeoecological range of honeybees during prehistory. Temporally, we demonstrate that bee products were
exploited continuously, and probably extensively in some regions, at least from the seventh millennium cal BC, likely fulfilling a variety of technological and cultural functions. The close association of A. mellifera with Neolithic farming communities dates to the early onset of agriculture and may provide evidence for the beginnings of a domestication process.
Authors: Roffet-Salque, M., Regert, M., Evershed, R. P., Outram, A. K., Cramp, L. J. E., Decavallas, O., Dunne, J., Gerbault, P., Mileto, S., Mirabaud, S., Pääkkönen, M., Smyth, J., Šoberl, L., Whelton, H. L., Alday-Ruiz, A., Asplund, H., Bartkowiak, M., Bayer-Niemeier, E., Belhouchet, L., Bernardini, F., Budja, M., Cooney, G., Cubas, M., Danaher, E. M., Diniz, M., Domboróczki, L., Fabbri, C., González-Urquijo, J. E., Guilaine, J., Hachi, S., Hartwell, B. N., Hofmann, D., Hohle, I., Ibáñez, J. J., Karul, N., Kherbouche, F., Kiely, J., Kotsakis, K., Lueth, F., Mallory, J. P., Manen, C., Marciniak, A., Maurice-Chabard, B., Mc Gonigle, M. A., Mulazzani, S., Özdoğan, M., Perić, O. S., Perić, S. R., Petrasch, J., Pétrequin, A.-M., Pétrequin, P., Poensgen, U., Pollard, C. J., Poplin, F., Radi, G., Stadler, P., Stäuble, H., Tasić, N., Urem-Kotsou, D., Vuković, J. B., Walsh, F., Whittle, A., Wolfram, S., Zapata-Peña, L. and Zoughlami, J.
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Archaeology and Residue
Research Interests:
A new multistep analytical methodology is described in this paper for the precise identification of triacylglycerols, which are biomarkers of dairy products and subcutaneous fats, that may be chemically identified in archaeological... more
A new multistep analytical methodology is described in this paper for the precise identification of triacylglycerols, which are biomarkers of dairy products and subcutaneous fats, that may be chemically identified in archaeological pottery. It consists of the analysis of the total lipid extract from different kinds of fats by high-temperature gas chromatography, performed in order to select the ceramic vessels in which animal fats are well preserved, followed by nanoelectrospray QqTOF mass spectrometry that allows for distinguishing the specific origins of the lipids detected (namely, cow, sheep, or goat). The analysis of model samples, cow and goat dairy products and cow and sheep adipose fats, was successfully achieved. The fatty acid composition of each triacylglycerol was identified, which allowed for the discrimination of subcutaneous fats and dairy fats and distinguishing between cow and goat milk. This methodology was then applied to archaeological samples, and the presence of goat milk, cow milk, and possibly sheep subcutaneous fat was assessed based on the discriminating criteria found on modern fats.
Research Interests: Chemical Engineering, Archaeology, Analytical Chemistry, Mass Spectrometry, Sample Preparation, and 12 moreElectrospray, Pottery, Adipose tissue, Animals, Tandem Mass Spectrometry, Gas Chromatography, Triglycerides, Milk, Liquid Chromatography / Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry, Fat, Species Specificity, and Animal Fat
An art historian, a paintings conservator, and a chemist jointly conducted this study of a group of 15th- to 18th-century Ethiopian icons from the museum of the Institute of Ethiopian Studies in Addis-Ababa. The study pertains to the... more
An art historian, a paintings conservator, and a chemist jointly conducted this study of a group of 15th- to 18th-century Ethiopian icons from the museum of the Institute of Ethiopian Studies in Addis-Ababa. The study pertains to the sampling and analysis of the constitutive material, pigments, binder, and varnish, a sanitary and esthetic assessment of the works, as well as a historical study. The results presented mainly concern the characterization of the pigments and varnishes and how they were used for the four icons dated and attributed to two painters, Feré Seyon and Brancaleon (15th century to the early 16th century). The results showed that similar techniques were used, specifically an identical selection of pigments and the presence of oil varnish, while each also had its unique characteristics.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, Material Culture Studies, Balkan Studies, Neolithic Archaeology, and 8 moreNeolithic Transition, Neolithic Europe, Ancient Agriculture & Farming (Archaeology), Early Neolithic pottery technology, Neolithic of the Balkans, Pottery technology and function, Social aspects of food production and ecological farming systems, and Pottery Archaeology
Research Interests:
A new multistep analytical methodology is described in this paper for the precise identification of triacylglycerols, which are biomarkers of dairy products and subcutaneous fats, that may be chemically identified in archaeological... more
A new multistep analytical methodology is described in this paper for the precise identification of triacylglycerols, which are biomarkers of dairy products and subcutaneous fats, that may be chemically identified in archaeological pottery. It consists of the analysis of the total lipid extract from different kinds of fats by high-temperature gas chromatography, performed in order to select the ceramic vessels in which animal fats are well preserved, followed by nanoelectrospray QqTOF mass spectrometry that allows for distinguishing the specific origins of the lipids detected (namely, cow, sheep, or goat). The analysis of model samples, cow and goat dairy products and cow and sheep adipose fats, was successfully achieved. The fatty acid composition of each triacylglycerol was identified, which allowed for the discrimination of subcutaneous fats and dairy fats and distinguishing between cow and goat milk. This methodology was then applied to archaeological samples, and the presence of goat milk, cow milk, and possibly sheep subcutaneous fat was assessed based on the discriminating criteria found on modern fats.