Organic Residue Analysis of Late Bronze Age Ceramics from Aşağıseyit Höyük by GC-MS, a Key Settlement in Western Anatolia

Abstract

In the present study, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) was used to investigate organic residues (ORs) preserved in the sherds recovered from the Late Bronze Age layers of Aşağıseyit Höyük, one of the important ancient settlements of Western Anatolia, in order to identify the types of food processed in these vessels. According to the results, 8 out of the 50 sherds analyzed gave interpretable results according to their OR compositions. The sherds of E-18, E-24, E-30, and E-36 may have been used in processes involving the carcass meat of a ruminant animal. The sherds of E-38, E-39, and E-41 may also contain a ruminant animal or a dairy product. The ORs obtained from E-38 and E-39 of these sherds also indicate plant oils. These results show that the relevant vessels may have been used for cooking or storing animal products together with plant oils. It can be said that the OR in sample E-43 is predominantly a residue of plant oil and that this vessel may have been used mostly for materials containing plant oils.