This volume presents an overview of methodologies to identify and study foodways in the archaeological record. It also includes definitions, information, and examples for students and professionals to understand the basic analytical approaches, methods, and themes critical to archaeological studies of foodways. One of the main goals of this book is to show that foodways can help us better understand many aspects of a culture and can be studied from the material culture recovered from archaeological sites. It is important to stress that foodways are, and should be, studied by more than zooarchaeologists and paleoethnobotanists. Foodways encompass the biological and cultural need for sustenance, and thus are a research area that incorporates a multitude of artifact types, analytical specialties, and research questions.
Foodways are a tangled web of ideas and behaviors that structure diet, subsistence strategies, cuisines, and the use of food to express identity. While foodstuffs are primary components to foodways, the consumption of material foods is inherently social. Food, dishes, and cuisines are expressions of the people, culture, and time in which they are created. Foodways Archaeology is devoted specifically to the archaeological study of the intersection of food, culture, history, and traditions as viewed in the archaeological record.
Author(s): Tanya M. Peres
Series: SpringerBriefs in Archaeology
Edition: 1
Publisher: Springer Nature Switzerland
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: xiii; 118
City: Cham
Tags: Archaeology; History, general; Regional and Cultural Studies; Spanish Florida, 1587-1706; Biomass; Zooarchaeology; Paleoethnobotany; Bioarchaeology;
Acknowledgments
Contents
List of Figures
List of Tables
Chapter 1: Archaeology of Foodways
1.1 Components of Foodways Archaeology
1.2 Research Themes in Foodways Archaeology
1.3 Background to the Case Studies
1.4 Organization of the Volume
References
Chapter 2: Zooarchaeology of Foodways
2.1 Sample Recovery Best Practices
2.2 Analysis Methods
2.2.1 Primary Data Collection
2.3 Number of Identified Specimens (NISP)
2.4 Weights
2.4.1 Secondary Data Collection
2.5 Minimum Number of Individuals
2.6 Biomass
2.7 Species Diversity and Equitability
2.8 Zooarchaeology of the Earliest Introduction of Iberian Foodways to the Americas
2.9 Summary
References
Chapter 3: Paleoethnobotany of Foodways
3.1 Plant Samples Common to Archaeological Sites
3.1.1 Food Plants
3.1.2 Fuel Plants
3.1.3 Pollen and Pollen Rain
3.2 Plant Sample Recovery Best Practices
3.3 Lab Analysis Methods
3.3.1 Primary Data Collection
3.3.2 Secondary Data Measures
3.4 Taphonomy and Sample Bias
3.4.1 Differential Preservation
3.4.2 Modern and Ancient Biases
3.5 Interpreting Plants as Part of Foodways
3.6 Summary
References
Additional Resources
Chapter 4: Bioarchaeology of Foodways
4.1 Ethical and Legal Considerations in Bioarchaeology
4.2 Discovery of Human Remains
4.2.1 Best Practices in the Recovery of Human Remains
4.3 Lab Analysis Methods
4.3.1 Basic Osteological Identification
4.3.2 Basic Demographic Identification
4.4 Biomarkers of Foodways (Diet and Nutrition)
4.4.1 Paleopathology
4.4.2 Dental Wear and Tear
4.4.3 Diet Reconstruction Based on Stable Isotope Analysis
4.4.4 Growth Disruption
4.4.5 Iron Deficiency Anemia
4.5 Biomarkers of Foodways (Physical Work and Activity)
4.5.1 Osteoarthritis
4.5.2 Skeletal Morphology
4.6 Discussion
4.7 Summary
References
Additional Resources
Chapter 5: Chemical Analysis of Foodways
5.1 Organic Residue Analysis
5.2 Diet Reconstruction Based on Stable Isotope Analysis
5.2.1 Basics of Stable Isotope Analysis
5.3 Experimental Studies with Absorbed Residues
5.4 Dietary Reconstructions of the Mission Period
5.5 Summary
References
Chapter 6: Ceramic Analysis and Foodways
6.1 Why Do We Study Ceramics?
6.2 Data Collection on Archaeological Ceramics
6.2.1 Raw Material
6.2.2 Surface Treatment
6.2.3 Vessel Shapes
6.3 Ceramic Quantification
6.4 Ceramic Classification Systems
6.5 The Functional Vessel
6.5.1 Processing
6.5.2 Storage
6.5.3 Cooking
6.5.4 Uncommon Cookware
6.5.5 Serving
6.6 Summary
References
Chapter 7: Documentary Analysis of Foodways
7.1 Documents Written About the Lived Experience
7.2 Historic Documents and Foodways
7.2.1 Religious Doctrine
7.2.2 Cookbooks
7.2.3 Art/Paintings
7.3 Text Analysis Methods for the Foodways Archaeologist
7.4 Big Data, Digital Humanities, and Foodways
7.5 Summary
References
Chapter 8: Cooking Tools and Spaces
8.1 Culinary Tools and Missions
8.2 Tools for Food Processing
8.3 Cookware
8.4 Cooking Features and Spaces
8.5 Summary
References
