Arqueologia
Mass spectrometry detects first physical evidence of nicotine in Mayan container
Archaeologists examining late period Mayan containers have identified nicotine traces from a codex-style flask, revealing the first physical evidence of tobacco use by ancient Mayans. The study published in Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry reveals the flask is marked with Mayan hieroglyphics reading, "y-otoot 'u-may," ("the home of its/his/her tobacco,") making it only the second case to confirm that the text on the exterior of a Mayan vessel corresponds to its ancient use.
"Investigation of food items consumed by ancient people offers insight into the traditions and customs of a particular civilization," explains Jennifer Loughmiller-Newman from the University at Albany in New York. "Textual evidence written on pottery is often an indicator of contents or of an intended purpose, however actual usage of a container could be altered or falsely represented."
Many of the Mayan flask vessels from the Kislak collection of the Library of Congress examined in this study were filled with other substances, such as iron oxide used in burial rituals, making it difficult to detect the original content.
The most indisputable evidence of a container's usage is obtained when hieroglyphic text or pictorial illustrations on the exterior of a container is consistent with the chemical analysis of interior residues. For the current investigation, researchers analyzed samples extracted from the Late Classic Maya period (600 to 900 AD) using gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS) and liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LCMS).
Nicotine—the signature alkaloid in tobacco—was identified as the major component of the extracts from one of the 150 vessels in the collection. The flask was determined to be made in southern Campeche, Mexico and dates to around 700 AD.
Prior to the current discovery, the only existing evidence showing a Mayan vessel to have the same content as indicated by hieroglyphic text was the identification of theobromine, an alkaloid found in cacao, more than 20 years ago.
"Our study provides rare evidence of the intended use of an ancient container," concludes Dr. Dmitri Zagorevski from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. "Mass spectrometry has proven to be an invaluable method of analysis of organic residues in archaeological artifacts. This discovery is not only significant to understanding Mayan hieroglyphics, but an important archaeological application of chemical detection."
Fonte: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/w-sct011012.php (12/01/2012)
- Cu Anthropologist Finds A Route Back To Mayans' History
By Bruce Finley The Denver Post This sacbe portion includes a drainage canal to the left and corn plants preserved in ash to the right. (Photo courtesy of Payson Sheets, CU) BOULDER — A University of Colorado anthropologist who worked through Central...
- War Shaped Civilization In Southern Peru
Warfare, triggered by political conflict between the fifth century B.C. and the first century A.D., likely shaped the development of the first settlement that would classify as a civilization in the Titicaca basin of southern Peru, a new UCLA study suggests....
- More On Mayan Archaeological Sites, Graves Found In Southeastern Mexico
Foto: Cuzam archaeological site [Credit: Archaeologist Luis Pantoja/INAH] Specialists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) identified seven new Prehispanic Maya sites and a high concentration of human burials in the town of Sitpach,...
- Archaeologists Uncover Oldest Mine In The Americas
Prehistoric mine from 12,000 years ago in Chile [Current Anthropology/UC Press] Archaeologists have discovered a 12,000-year-old iron oxide mine in Chile that marks the oldest evidence of organized mining ever found in the Americas, according to a report...
- Prehispanic Burials Dating From 900 To 1521 Ad Located At Tamtoc, Mexico
Five Prehispanic burials of high rank personages, accompanied by rich offerings, were discovered recently at Tamtoc Archaeological Zone, in San Luis Potosi, by researchers from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH). The finding dated...
Arqueologia
Scientists confirm tobacco use by ancient Mayans
Mass spectrometry detects first physical evidence of nicotine in Mayan container
Archaeologists examining late period Mayan containers have identified nicotine traces from a codex-style flask, revealing the first physical evidence of tobacco use by ancient Mayans. The study published in Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry reveals the flask is marked with Mayan hieroglyphics reading, "y-otoot 'u-may," ("the home of its/his/her tobacco,") making it only the second case to confirm that the text on the exterior of a Mayan vessel corresponds to its ancient use.
"Investigation of food items consumed by ancient people offers insight into the traditions and customs of a particular civilization," explains Jennifer Loughmiller-Newman from the University at Albany in New York. "Textual evidence written on pottery is often an indicator of contents or of an intended purpose, however actual usage of a container could be altered or falsely represented."
Many of the Mayan flask vessels from the Kislak collection of the Library of Congress examined in this study were filled with other substances, such as iron oxide used in burial rituals, making it difficult to detect the original content.
The most indisputable evidence of a container's usage is obtained when hieroglyphic text or pictorial illustrations on the exterior of a container is consistent with the chemical analysis of interior residues. For the current investigation, researchers analyzed samples extracted from the Late Classic Maya period (600 to 900 AD) using gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS) and liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LCMS).
Nicotine—the signature alkaloid in tobacco—was identified as the major component of the extracts from one of the 150 vessels in the collection. The flask was determined to be made in southern Campeche, Mexico and dates to around 700 AD.
Prior to the current discovery, the only existing evidence showing a Mayan vessel to have the same content as indicated by hieroglyphic text was the identification of theobromine, an alkaloid found in cacao, more than 20 years ago.
"Our study provides rare evidence of the intended use of an ancient container," concludes Dr. Dmitri Zagorevski from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. "Mass spectrometry has proven to be an invaluable method of analysis of organic residues in archaeological artifacts. This discovery is not only significant to understanding Mayan hieroglyphics, but an important archaeological application of chemical detection."
Fonte: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/w-sct011012.php (12/01/2012)
loading...
- Cu Anthropologist Finds A Route Back To Mayans' History
By Bruce Finley The Denver Post This sacbe portion includes a drainage canal to the left and corn plants preserved in ash to the right. (Photo courtesy of Payson Sheets, CU) BOULDER — A University of Colorado anthropologist who worked through Central...
- War Shaped Civilization In Southern Peru
Warfare, triggered by political conflict between the fifth century B.C. and the first century A.D., likely shaped the development of the first settlement that would classify as a civilization in the Titicaca basin of southern Peru, a new UCLA study suggests....
- More On Mayan Archaeological Sites, Graves Found In Southeastern Mexico
Foto: Cuzam archaeological site [Credit: Archaeologist Luis Pantoja/INAH] Specialists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) identified seven new Prehispanic Maya sites and a high concentration of human burials in the town of Sitpach,...
- Archaeologists Uncover Oldest Mine In The Americas
Prehistoric mine from 12,000 years ago in Chile [Current Anthropology/UC Press] Archaeologists have discovered a 12,000-year-old iron oxide mine in Chile that marks the oldest evidence of organized mining ever found in the Americas, according to a report...
- Prehispanic Burials Dating From 900 To 1521 Ad Located At Tamtoc, Mexico
Five Prehispanic burials of high rank personages, accompanied by rich offerings, were discovered recently at Tamtoc Archaeological Zone, in San Luis Potosi, by researchers from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH). The finding dated...