Abstract
- In the first published study of multiple samples from a complete pot in North America, four sherds were submitted for absorbed pottery residue analysis from different parts of a complete Mississippi Plain vessel found on a burnt house floor at Angel Mounds (12Vg1). Multiple samples from the pot were sampled and analyzed to determine whether the vessel had been buried with contents intact, to determine vessel function, and to help establish better sampling techniques for other, similar vessels. Quantification and qualitative analyses of the lipid extracted from the four sherds suggest that the vessel was used to cook or store a mixture of lean fish or shellfish and plant resources, possibly including maize. Diterpenoid biomarkers of conifer resins were also present, suggesting that conifer resin was used either to seal the pot or as a flavoring. The jar, though deposited whole, was probably not buried with contents intact.