Elucidating diet and economy at the ancient city of Teotihuacan (150 BC- AD 650) via molecular and isotropic investigations of organic residues in archaeological pottery
While the ancient city of Teotihuacan (150BC-650AD) was one the most striking experiments in urbanism in the pre-industrial world, housing a population likely exceeding 100,000 inhabitants in ca. 20 km2, it is likely its inhabitants faced significant economic, social and political challenges in sustaining such dense urban society. As part of wider palaeodietary and cultural investigations at ancient Teotihuacan, organic residue analyses were performed on a wide range of systematically sampled archaeological potsherds from three localities within the city and immediate periphery: La Ventilla (n=148), San Jose 520 (n=73) and site 15:N1E6 (n=92). The main aims of this thesis were to further investigate the relative importance of various foods and food consumption patterns over time and across different parts of the city to relate differences in food consumption to social variation. Absorbed lipid extractions performed on the 313 potsherds represented different ware types and forms, including: ollas (n=144), craters (n=83), bowls (n=24) and amphorae (n=62) corresponding to the Tlamimilolpa and Xolalpan phases (ca. AD 200-550). Due to the low lipid concentrations in potsherds from Teotihuacan, a more efficient
Ascencio, Marisol Correa
Elucidating diet and economy at the ancient city of Teotihuacan (150 BC- AD 650) via molecular and isotropic investigations of organic residues in archaeological pottery. While the ancient city of Teotihuacan (150BC-650AD) was one the most striking experiments in urbanism in the pre-industrial world, housing a population likely exceeding 100,000 inhabitants in ca. 20 km2, it is likely its inhabitants faced significant economic, social and political challenges in sustaining such dense urban society. As part of wider palaeodietary and cultural investigations at ancient Teotihuacan, organic residue analyses were performed on a wide range of systematically sampled archaeological potsherds from three localities within the city and immediate periphery: La Ventilla (n=148), San Jose 520 (n=73) and site 15:N1E6 (n=92). The main aims of this thesis were to further investigate the relative importance of various foods and food consumption patterns over time and across different parts of the city to relate differences in food consumption to social variation. Absorbed lipid extractions performed on the 313 potsherds represented different ware types and forms, including: ollas (n=144), craters (n=83), bowls (n=24) and amphorae (n=62) corresponding to the Tlamimilolpa and Xolalpan phases (ca. AD 200-550). Due to the low lipid concentrations in potsherds from Teotihuacan, a more efficient
diet economy ancient_city via molecular investigation organic_residue archaeological pottery ancient_city strike urbanism pre_industrial world housing population likely exceed inhabitant likely inhabitant face significant economic_social_political challenge sustain dense urban_society part_wider palaeodietary cultural investigation ancient organic_residue analysis_perform wide_range systematically sample archaeological locality within city immediate periphery site main_aim investigate relative_importance various food food_consumption pattern time across_different part city relate difference food_consumption social variation lipid extraction perform represent different ware type form include amphora correspond phase due low lipid concentration efficient