An archaeometric study on the explanation of nutritional habits in the Neolithic period of Western Anatolia: Determination of organic residues in ceramic samples obtained from the Yeşilova Höyük site by GC–MS

Abstract

In this study, 50 Neolithic sherds that were found during the excavation of the İzmir Yeşilova Höyük site were subjected to organic residue analysis (ORA) to identify foods prepared or stored in relevant vessels. The residues obtained from the sherds Y16, Y19, Y30, Y31-Y35, Y44, and Y50 were likely to be carcass meat fat, which is consistent with the situation that the stearic acid ratio in the detected organic residue (OR) was higher than palmitic acid. The dehydroabietic acid content detected in the Y26 indicates that this residue may contain decomposed pine resin. Due to the long and odd-numbered n-alkane species detected, especially C29, residues of plant origin may have been encountered in Y06, Y07, Y12, Y18, Y26, Y29, Y39, Y42, and Y43. Based on the collected data, it is predicted that this society, which is thought to have changed from a hunter-gatherer to a settled lifestyle not too long ago, has advanced to a point where it may profit from animal domestication. It is also thought that this civilization used plants for various purposes.