Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-s2hrs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-18T06:06:52.324Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

What was a mortarium used for? Organic residues and cultural change in Iron Age and Roman Britain

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 November 2011

Lucy J.E. Cramp ,
Richard P. Evershed  and
Hella Eckardt
Lucy J.E. Cramp
Affiliation:
1Department of Archaeology, University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading RG6 6AB, UK 2Organic Geochemistry Unit, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Cantock's Close, Bristol BS8 1TS, UK (Email for correspondence: lucy.cramp@bristol.ac.uk)
Richard P. Evershed
Affiliation:
2Organic Geochemistry Unit, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Cantock's Close, Bristol BS8 1TS, UK (Email for correspondence: lucy.cramp@bristol.ac.uk)
Hella Eckardt
Affiliation:
1Department of Archaeology, University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading RG6 6AB, UK
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

The Romans brought the mortarium to Britain in the first century AD, and there has long been speculation on its actual purpose. Using analysis of the residues trapped in the walls of these ‘kitchen blenders’ and comparing them with Iron Age and Roman cooking pots, the authors show that it wasn't the diet that changed — just the method of preparing certain products: plants were being ground in the mortarium as well as cooked in the pot. As well as plants, the mortars contained animal fats, including dairy products. The question that remains, however, is why these natural products were being mixed together in mortaria. Were they for food, pharmaceuticals or face creams?

Keywords

Iron Age and Roman Britainfirst–fourth centuries ADmortariadietlipids
Type
Research article
Information
Antiquity , Volume 85 , Issue 330 , December 2011 , pp. 1339 - 1352
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Alcock, J.P. 2001. Food in Roman Britain. Stroud: Tempus.Google Scholar
Blázquez, J.M. 1981. Mosaicos romanos de Cordoba, Jaen y Malaga. Madrid: CSIC, Instituto Español de Arqueología Rodrigo Caro.Google Scholar
Charters, S. 1997. Chemical investigations of absorbed lipids and laboratory simulation experiments to interpret archaeological pottery vessel contents and use. Unpublished PhD dissertation, University of Bristol.Google Scholar
Charters, S., Evershed, R.P., Goad, L.J., Leydon, A., Blinkhorn, P.W. & Denham, V.. 1993. Quantification and distribution of lipid in archaeological ceramics: implications for sampling potsherds for organic residue analysis and the classification of vessel use. Archaeometry 35(2): 211–23.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Colombini, M.P., Giachi, G., Modugno, F. & Ribechini, E.. 2005. Characterisation of organic residues in pottery vessels of the Roman age from Antinoe (Egypt). Microchemical Journal 79: 83–90.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cool, H.E.M. 2004. Some notes on spoons and mortaria, in Croxford, B., Eckardt, H., Meade, J. & Weekes, H. (ed.) TRAC 2003. Proceedings of the Thirteenth Annual Theoretical Roman Archaeology Conference, Leicester 2003: 28–36. Oxford: Oxbow.Google Scholar
Cool, H.E.M. 2006. Eating and drinking in Roman Britain. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Copley, M.S., Berstan, R., Dudd, S.N., Straker, V., Payne, S. & Evershed, R.P.. 2005. Dairying in antiquity. I. Evidence from absorbed lipid residues dating to the British Iron Age. Journal of Archaeological Science 32(4): 485–503.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dalby, A. 1998. Cato. On Farming. De Agricultura: a modern translation with commentary. Blackawton, Devon: Prospect Books.Google Scholar
Dickinson, B. & Hartley, K.F.. 1971. The evidence of potters' stamps on Samian ware and on mortaria for the trading connections of Roman York, in Butler, R.M. (ed.) Soldier and civilian in Roman Yorkshire: essays to commemorate the nineteenth centenary of the foundation of York: 127–42. Leicester: Leicester University Press.Google Scholar
Dudd, S.N. 1999. Molecular and isotopic characterisation of animal fats in archaeological pottery. Unpublished PhD dissertation, University of Bristol.Google Scholar
Dudd, S.N. & Evershed, R.P.. 1998. Direct demonstration of milk as an element of archaeological economies. Science 282: 1478–81.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dudd, S.N., Evershed, R.P. & Gibson, A.M.. 1999. Evidence for varying patterns of exploitation of animal products in different prehistoric pottery traditions based on lipids preserved in surface and absorbed residues. Journal of Archaeological Science 26: 1473–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dungait, J.A.J., Docherty, G., Straker, V. & Evershed, R.P.. 2008. Interspecific variation in bulk tissue, fatty acid and monosaccharide δ13C values of leaves from a mesotrophic grassland plant community. Phytochemistry 69: 2041–2051.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dungait, J.A.J., Docherty, G., Straker, V. & Evershed, R.P.. 2010. Seasonal variations in bulk tissue, fatty acid and monosaccharide δ13C values of leaves from mesotrophic grassland plant communities under different grazing managements Phytochemistry 71: 415–28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Evans, J. 1995. Later Iron Age and ‘native’ pottery in the north-east, in Vyner, B. (ed.) Moorland monuments: studies in the archaeology of north-east Yorkshire in honour of Raymond Hayes and Don Spratt (CBA research report 101): 46–68. York: Council for British Archaeology.Google Scholar
Evershed, R.P. 2008. Experimental approaches to the interpretation of absorbed residues in archaeological ceramics. World Archaeology 40(1): 26–47.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Evershed, R.P, Jerman, K. & Eglinton, G.. 1985. Pine wood origin for pitch from the Mary Rose. Nature 314(6011): 528–30.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Evershed, R.P., Heron, C. & Goad, L.J.. 1990. Analysis of organic residues of archaeological origin by High Temperature Gas Chromatography and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry. Analyst 115: 1339–42.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Evershed, R.P., Heron, C., Charters, S. & Goad, L.J.. 1992. The survival of food residues: new methods of analysis, interpretation and application. Proceedings of the British Academy 77: 187–208.Google Scholar
Evershed, R.P., Dudd, S.N., Charters, S., Mottram, H.R., Stott, A.W., Raven, A., Van Bergen, P.F., Bland, H.A.. 1999. Lipids as carriers of anthropogenic signals from prehistory. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B 354: 19–31.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Evershed, R.P., Dudd, S.N., Copley, M.S. & Mukherjee, A.J.. 2002. Identification of animal fats via compound specific δ13C values of individual fatty acids: assessments of results for reference fats and lipid extracts of archaeological pottery vessels. Documenta Praehistorica 29: 73–96.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Flower, B. & Rosenbaum, E.. 1958. The Roman cookery book. A critical translation of The Art of Cooking by Apicius for use in the study and the kitchen. London: Harrap.Google Scholar
Hartley, K. 1973. The marketing and distribution of mortaria, in Detsicas, A.P. (ed.) Current research into Romano-British pottery (CBA research report 10): 39–51. London: Council for British Archaeology.Google Scholar
Hartley, K. 1981. The mortaria, in Partridge, C. (ed.) Skeleton Green: a Late Iron Age and Romano-British site (Britannia monograph series 2): 196–9. London: Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies.Google Scholar
Hartley, K. 1985. The mortaria, in Niblett, R. (ed.) Sheepen: an early Roman industrial site at Camulodunum (CBA research report 57): 92–93. London: Council for British Archaeology.Google Scholar
Hartley, K. 1990. The mortaria, in Neal, D., Wardle, A. & Hunn, J. (ed.) Excavations of an Iron Age, Roman and medieval settlement at Gorhambury, St Albans (English Heritage archaeological report 14): 191–5. London: Historic Buildings & Monuments Commission for England.Google Scholar
Hartley, K. 1999. The mortarium stamps, in Connor, A. & Buckley, R. (ed.) Roman and medieval occupation in Causeway Lane, Leicester. Excavations 1980 and 1991 (Leicester archaeological monographs 5): 109–110. Leicester: University of Leicester Archaeological Services.Google Scholar
Heron, C. & Pollard, A.M.. 1988. The analysis of natural resinous materials from Roman amphoras, in Slater, E.A. & Tate, J.O. (ed.) Science and archaeology, Glasgow 1987. Proceedings of a conference on the application of scientific techniques to archaeology (British Archaeological Reports British series 196): 429–47. Oxford: British Archaeological Reports.Google Scholar
Heron, C., Evershed, R.P. & Goad, L.J.. 1991. Effects of migration of soil lipids on organic residues associated with buried potsherds. Journal of Archaeological Science 18: 641–59.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
May, J. 1996. Dragonby: report on excavations at an Iron Age and Romano-British settlement in North Lincolnshire (Oxbow monograph 61). Oxford: Oxbow.Google Scholar
Oswald, F. 1943. The mortaria of Margidunum and their development from AD 50 to 400. The Antiquaries Journal 22: 45–63.Google Scholar
Parminter, Y. & Hartley, K.. 1996. The mortaria, in May, J. (ed.) Dragonby: report on excavations at an Iron Age and Romano-British settlement in North Lincolnshire (Oxbow monograph 61): 567–73. Oxford: Oxbow.Google Scholar
Peacock, D.P.S. 1987. Iron Age and Roman quern production at Lodsworth, West Sussex. The Antiquaries Journal 67: 61–85.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Peacock, D.P.S. & Williams, D.F.. 1986. Amphorae and the Roman economy: an introductory guide. London: Longman.Google Scholar
Phelps, J.J. 1923. The culinary use of mortaria. Transactions of the Lancashire and Cheshire Antiquarian Society 39: 1–15.Google Scholar
Regert, M., Colinart, S., Degrand, L. & Decavallas, O.. 2001. Chemical alteration and use of beeswax through time: accelerated ageing tests and analysis of archaeological samples from various environmental contexts. Archaeometry 43(4): 549–69.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ribechini, E., Modugno, F., Colombini, M.P. & Evershed, R.P.. 2008. Gas chromatographic and mass spectrometric investigations from Roman glass unguentaria. Journal of Chromatography A 1183: 158–69.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rush, P. 1997. Symbols, pottery and trade, in Meadows, K., Lemke, C. & Heron, J. (ed.) TRAC 96. Proceedings of the Sixth Annual Theoretical Roman Archaeology Conference: 55–64. Oxford: Oxbow.Google Scholar
Serpico, M.R. & White, . 2000. Oil, fat and wax, in Nicholson, P.T. & Shaw, I. (ed.) Ancient Egyptian materials and technology: 390–429. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Shaffrey, R. 2006. Grinding and milling. A study of Romano-British rotary querns and millstones made from Old Red Sandstone. Oxford: Archaeopress.Google Scholar
Simoneit, B.R.T. 1986. Cyclic terpenoids of the geosphere, in Johns, R.B. (ed.) Biological markers in the sedimentary record: 43–99. Amsterdam: Elsevier.Google Scholar
Steele, V.J., Stern, B. & Stott, A.W.. 2010. Olive oil or lard? Distinguishing plant oils from animal fats in the archaeological record of the eastern Mediterranean using gas chromatography/combustion/isotope ratio mass spectrometry. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry 24: 3478–84.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stern, B., Lampert Moore, C.D., Heron, C. & Pollard, A.M.. 2008. Bulk stable light isotopic ratios in recent and archaeological resins : towards detecting the transport of resins in antiquity. Archaeometry 50(2): 351–70.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tyers, P. 1996. Roman pottery in Britain. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Woodbury, S.E., Evershed, R.P. & Rossell, J.B.. 1998. Purity assessments of major vegetable oils based on δ13C values of individual fatty acids. Journal of the American Oil Chemists Society 75(3): 371–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Young, C.J. 1973. The pottery industry of the Oxford region, in Detsicas, A.P. (ed.) Current research into Romano-British pottery (CBA research report 10): 105–112. London: Council for British Archaeology.Google Scholar
Young, C.J. 1977. The Roman pottery industry of the Oxfordshire region (British Archaeological Reports British series 43). Oxford: British Archaeological Reports.Google Scholar
Zavarin, E. & Snajberk, K.. 1980. Oleoresins of Pinyons. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 28(4): 829–34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar