Neolithic bone meal with acorn: Analyses on crusts in pottery bowls from 7000 BP Hemudu, China

Abstract

AbstractHere, we report the results of residue analyses of crusts in pottery bowls from early phases of the Hemudu archaeological site (~7000–6000 BP), China, through a multi‐disciplinary approach. The physical morphology and chemical composition of the residues were examined via multiple analytical techniques, including EPMA, FTIR, SEM‐EDS, GC and microscopic observation. The elemental composition of the residues consistently comprise C, O, P and Ca. FTIR spectra of residues are also very similar to each other and have spectral bands consistent with CHAp spectra. SEM‐EDS tests provide clear morphological features of the bone particles and in situ elemental information. Fatty acid analysis further suggests an origin of residues is likely to be from terrestrial vertebrate bones. Analysis of starch granules, also recovered from the crusts, indicates Cyclobalanopsis sp. acorns. We demonstrate that the crusts are the remains of a special mixture of bone meal and acorn starch. This usage of bone resources is previously unknown in the Chinese Neolithic and may have served various functions, including a medicinal, a food supplement to manage dietary stress, or a special diet for children. Our findings enrich the understanding of prehistoric usage of bone meal, as well as the subsistence strategies of the Middle Neolithic Hemudu people, who were engaged in increasingly intensified rice agriculture in the lower Yangzi River region.