Cibi, bevande, profumi e molto altro. Le sostanze organiche nei reperti archeologici

Silvia Bruni

doi:10.3280/rndoa2025oa21155

Essays

Vol. 158 No. 2 (2025): Rendiconti. Mathematics and Natural Sciences Class

Food, beverages, perfumes and much more. Organic substances in archaeological finds

Silvia Bruni

pdf (Italiano)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3280/rndoa2025oa21155
Submitted: ottobre 1, 2025
Published: 2026-02-17

Abstract

Among the numerous materials that can be found in an archaeological site, the so-called organic residues, i.e. remains of materials mainly made up of carbon compounds, represent a very interesting class for the reconstruction of the knowledge and uses of a given population. At the same time, nevertheless, they represent a challenge for those involved in chemical analysis. Indeed, if a large variety of materials are encountered, ranging from food to ointments or adhesives and more, the residues themselves can be massive, but more often present only as traces not visible to the naked eye, for example absorbed into the walls of ceramic vessels. The present text intends to offer a survey of the main classes of archaeological organic residues, highlighting how modern instrumental chemical analysis techniques allow their identification with notable sensitivity and specificity.

References

Bruni S., Cariati F., Guglielmi V. (2001). Identificazione del residuo di adesivo presente su un campione ceramico. In: Frontini P., a cura di, Castellaro del Vhò Le campagne di scavo 1996-1999. Milano: Comune, 311-312.
Bruni S., Castiglioni E., Rottoli M., Sarti B. e Zara A. (2021a). I resti archeobotanici: analisi botaniche e chimiche. In: Bonetto J., Mantovani A., Zara A., a cura di, Nora. Il tempio romano 2008-2014, vol. II.2, I materiali romani e gli altri reperti. Roma: Edizioni Qua-sar, 611-625.
Bruni S. and Guglielmi V. (2005a). Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analy-sis of residues from volcanic stone objects. In: Liverani M., ed., Aghram Nadharif. The Barkat oasis (Sha’abiya of Ghat, Libyan Sahara) in Garamantian times. The archaeolo-gy of Libyan Sahara, vol. 2, Firenze: All’Insegna del Giglio, 293-294.
Bruni S. e Guglielmi V. (2005b). Le analisi chimiche. In: Rossignani M.P., Sannazaro M., Legrottaglie G., a cura di, La Signora del Sarcofago. Milano: Vita e Pensiero, 131-136.
Bruni S., Longoni M., Olivadese F. e Passaretti A. (2021b). Le analisi chimiche dei frammenti scoriacei. In: Frassine M., a cura di, Spineda. Il passato tra i ciottoli. Padova: SAP Socie-tà Archeologica, 135-137.
Butti Ronchetti F. (2012). Pietra ollare per l’aldilà. In: Lhemon M. et Serneels V., dir., Les récipients en pierre ollaire dans l’antiquité. Actes de la Table Ronde (Bagnes, 19-20 sep-tembre 2008). In: «Minaria Helvetica», 30: 94-104.
Chierici S. (2018). Scatole per sigilli da Albintimilium. In: AA.VV., Archeologia in Liguria, n.s., vol. 4 (2014-2015). Genova: De Ferrari Editore, 234-236.
Copley M.S., Rose P.J., Clapham A., Edwards D.N., Horton M.C. and Evershed R.P. (2001). Detection of palm fruit lipids in archaeological pottery from Qasr Ibrim, Egyptian Nubia. In: «P Roy Soc B-Biol Sci», 268: 593-597.
Crane E. (1999). The world history of beekeeping and honey hunting. New York: Routledge, 483.
Di Lernia S., Bruni S., Cislaghi I., Cremaschi M., Gallinaro M., Gugliemi V., Mercuri A.M., Poggi G. and Zerboni A. (2016). Colour in context. Pigments and other coloured residues from the Early-Middle Holocene site of Takarkori (SW Libya). In: «Archaeol Anthrop Sci», 8: 381-402.
Drieu L., Orecchioni P., Capelli C., Meo A., Lundy J., Sacco V., Arcifa L., Molinari A., Carver M. and Craig O.E. (2021). Chemical evidence for the persistence of wine production and trade in Early Medieval Islamic Sicily. In: «PNAS», 118: e2017983118.
Dunne J., Evershed R.P., Salque M., Cramp L., Bruni S., Ryan K., Biagetti S. and di Lernia S. (2012). First dairying in green Saharan Africa in the fifth millennium BC. In: «Nature», 486: 390-394.
Evershed R.P. (2008). Organic residue analysis in archaeology: the archaeological biomarker revolution. In: «Archaeometry», 50: 895-924.
Evershed R.P., Stott A.W., Raven A., Dudd S.N., Charters S. and Leyden A. (1995). Forma-tion of long-chain ketones in ancient pottery vessels by pyrolysis of acyl lipids. In: «Tetra-hedron Lett», 36: 8875-8878.
Giostra G., Bruni S., Guglielmi V., Rottoli M. and Rettore E. (2008). The Ostrogothic buckle with cloisonné decoration from Tortona (Italy). In: «Archäologisches Korrespondenz-blatt», 38: 577-596.
Mori L., Bruni S., Zerboni A., Ballerini A., Groppelli G. and Guglielmi V. (2013). Vesicular basalt artefacts. In: Mori L., ed., Life and death of a rural village in Garamantian time. Firenze: All’Insegna del Giglio, 109-118.
Regert M., Garnier N., Decavallas O., Cren-Olivé C. and Rolando C. (2003). Structural cha-racterization of lipid constituents from natural substances preserved in archaeological en-vironments. In: «Meas Sci Technol», 14: 1620-1630.
Zakoscielna A. und Gurba J. (1997). Friih-mittelalterliche Holzteergruben in Lopiennik Dolny in der Woiwodschaft Chelm. In: Brzeziński W. and Piotrowski W., eds., Proceedings of the First international symposium on wood tar and pitch. Warsaw: State Archaeological Museum, 73-80.
Zlatunić R. (2019). Prehistoric ceramic colanders and their use in the eastern Adriatic coast and its hinterland. In: «Histria Archaeologica», 50: 25-85.

How to Cite

Bruni, S. (2026). Food, beverages, perfumes and much more. Organic substances in archaeological finds. «Rendiconti» Istituto Lombardo Accademia Di Scienze E Lettere, 158(2). https://doi.org/10.3280/rndoa2025oa21155

[1] Bruni S., Cariati F., Guglielmi V. (2001). Identificazione del residuo di adesivo presente su un campione ceramico. In: Frontini P., a cura di, Castellaro del Vhò Le campagne di scavo 1996-1999. Milano: Comune, 311-312.

[2] Bruni S., Castiglioni E., Rottoli M., Sarti B. e Zara A. (2021a). I resti archeobotanici: analisi botaniche e chimiche. In: Bonetto J., Mantovani A., Zara A., a cura di, Nora. Il tempio romano 2008-2014, vol. II.2, I materiali romani e gli altri reperti. Roma: Edizioni Qua-sar, 611-625.

[3] Bruni S. and Guglielmi V. (2005a). Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analy-sis of residues from volcanic stone objects. In: Liverani M., ed., Aghram Nadharif. The Barkat oasis (Sha’abiya of Ghat, Libyan Sahara) in Garamantian times. The archaeolo-gy of Libyan Sahara, vol. 2, Firenze: All’Insegna del Giglio, 293-294.

[4] Bruni S. e Guglielmi V. (2005b). Le analisi chimiche. In: Rossignani M.P., Sannazaro M., Legrottaglie G., a cura di, La Signora del Sarcofago. Milano: Vita e Pensiero, 131-136.

[5] Bruni S., Longoni M., Olivadese F. e Passaretti A. (2021b). Le analisi chimiche dei frammenti scoriacei. In: Frassine M., a cura di, Spineda. Il passato tra i ciottoli. Padova: SAP Socie-tà Archeologica, 135-137.

[6] Butti Ronchetti F. (2012). Pietra ollare per l’aldilà. In: Lhemon M. et Serneels V., dir., Les récipients en pierre ollaire dans l’antiquité. Actes de la Table Ronde (Bagnes, 19-20 sep-tembre 2008). In: «Minaria Helvetica», 30: 94-104.

[7] Chierici S. (2018). Scatole per sigilli da Albintimilium. In: AA.VV., Archeologia in Liguria, n.s., vol. 4 (2014-2015). Genova: De Ferrari Editore, 234-236.

[8] Copley M.S., Rose P.J., Clapham A., Edwards D.N., Horton M.C. and Evershed R.P. (2001). Detection of palm fruit lipids in archaeological pottery from Qasr Ibrim, Egyptian Nubia. In: «P Roy Soc B-Biol Sci», 268: 593-597.

[9] Crane E. (1999). The world history of beekeeping and honey hunting. New York: Routledge, 483.

[10] Di Lernia S., Bruni S., Cislaghi I., Cremaschi M., Gallinaro M., Gugliemi V., Mercuri A.M., Poggi G. and Zerboni A. (2016). Colour in context. Pigments and other coloured residues from the Early-Middle Holocene site of Takarkori (SW Libya). In: «Archaeol Anthrop Sci», 8: 381-402.

[11] Drieu L., Orecchioni P., Capelli C., Meo A., Lundy J., Sacco V., Arcifa L., Molinari A., Carver M. and Craig O.E. (2021). Chemical evidence for the persistence of wine production and trade in Early Medieval Islamic Sicily. In: «PNAS», 118: e2017983118.

[12] Dunne J., Evershed R.P., Salque M., Cramp L., Bruni S., Ryan K., Biagetti S. and di Lernia S. (2012). First dairying in green Saharan Africa in the fifth millennium BC. In: «Nature», 486: 390-394.

[13] Evershed R.P. (2008). Organic residue analysis in archaeology: the archaeological biomarker revolution. In: «Archaeometry», 50: 895-924.

[14] Evershed R.P., Stott A.W., Raven A., Dudd S.N., Charters S. and Leyden A. (1995). Forma-tion of long-chain ketones in ancient pottery vessels by pyrolysis of acyl lipids. In: «Tetra-hedron Lett», 36: 8875-8878.

[15] Giostra G., Bruni S., Guglielmi V., Rottoli M. and Rettore E. (2008). The Ostrogothic buckle with cloisonné decoration from Tortona (Italy). In: «Archäologisches Korrespondenz-blatt», 38: 577-596.

[16] Mori L., Bruni S., Zerboni A., Ballerini A., Groppelli G. and Guglielmi V. (2013). Vesicular basalt artefacts. In: Mori L., ed., Life and death of a rural village in Garamantian time. Firenze: All’Insegna del Giglio, 109-118.

[17] Regert M., Garnier N., Decavallas O., Cren-Olivé C. and Rolando C. (2003). Structural cha-racterization of lipid constituents from natural substances preserved in archaeological en-vironments. In: «Meas Sci Technol», 14: 1620-1630.

[18] Zakoscielna A. und Gurba J. (1997). Friih-mittelalterliche Holzteergruben in Lopiennik Dolny in der Woiwodschaft Chelm. In: Brzeziński W. and Piotrowski W., eds., Proceedings of the First international symposium on wood tar and pitch. Warsaw: State Archaeological Museum, 73-80.

[19] Zlatunić R. (2019). Prehistoric ceramic colanders and their use in the eastern Adriatic coast and its hinterland. In: «Histria Archaeologica», 50: 25-85.