Starch grain extraction in lime-plastered archaeological floors

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper focuses on the recovery of archaeological starch grains from building interiors at pre-Columbian Maya sites in southern Mexico. In an effort to render analytical protocols more effective, it examines the performance of chemical residue tests as prospective tools, proposes a customized extraction procedure for lime-plaster floors, and compares the efficacy of two mounting techniques. While the alleged predictive power of proxies like phosphate and carbohydrate tests could not be confirmed, the customized plaster processing protocol not only simplifies the extraction process but also results in the recovery of dense assemblages of individual starches as well as grain clusters. However, despite increases in protocol efficacy, architectural context and building history continue to be factors of utmost importance for microbotanical analyses. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT