About This Project

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

To determine what was cooked in earth ovens, archaeologists usually identify preserved charred plants remains. Unfortunately, they are not always present among the fire-cracked rock.

To address this problem, some researchers have tried looking at residues such as microscopic plant parts (like starch) or chemical residues (like oils) on the stones in the earth ovens. Infrared spectroscopy, specifically Raman spectroscopy, is how I am going to examine the chemical residues. Though it has been used for a variety of archaeological applications for decades, it has not been used to study cook-stone.

To go beyond just characterization of the residues and try to actually identify their origins, I will also be creating a comparative reference collection, using both modern and ancient plants.

What is the significance of this project?

People have been using earth ovens to cook food for tens of thousands of years, worldwide. Despite their ubiquity, they have not received much attention by researchers. These features have the potential to reveal information about subsistence, settlement, and land-use. If residues preserved on the fire cracked rock and can be described with accuracy and precision, we may be able to unlock a few more of their secrets.

This is a first of its kind study that will help establish a baseline for future studies looking at invisible residues on stones used to process foodstuffs.

What are the goals of the project?

The main goal is to figure out what was being cooked in earth ovens, or more scientifically, characterize organic residues on fire cracked rock. I am going to do this by:

• Testing approximately 30 stones from Fort Hood, Texas
• Testing approximately 15 stones from Lower Pecos region
• Developing a reference collection:
  • modern raw plants
  • modern cooked plants
  • archaeological plant materials