Chemical analysis of prehistoric stone cooking technologies
The aim of the project is to investigate the role of stones used for cooking activities during the Early Neolithic period, focusing on two specific sites: La Draga (Spain) and Abri Pendimoun (France). The main steps will be to identify physical alterations on rocks related with heating and cooking and to identify direct evidence of use through chemical analysis of residues (lipids).
As a first step, visual documentation has been carried out with 3D scanners and photogrammetry equipment provided by the UAB Digital Lab. This would help to preserve the morphology and the entire initial shape of the samples, since the procedure to extract lipids could lead to additional stone breakages or fragments. Additionally, a digital database could be created with scans, images, details, and analysis results.
PhD research – ChemArch project ESR8 – https://sites.google.com/palaeome.org/chemarch/home?authuser=0
PhD student: Margherita Cantelli
UAB supervisor: André Carlo Colonese
Date: Oct-Nov 2022
