Dr. Enrico Greco, University of Trieste

Archaeometric Investigations of Organic Residues in Archaeology: Case Studies from the Ancient Mediterranean.

This presentation provides an overview of how advanced analytical chemistry techniques are used to explore ancient foods, nutraceutical, and psychoactive substances through five case studies of materials from the ancient Mediterranean. Each case study employs advanced techniques such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), mass spectrometry (GC and LC-MS), and scanning electron microscopy to analyze organic residues on archaeological artifacts. The first case study discusses the discovery of the oldest grape wine in Europe, found in the Monte Kronio caves in Sciacca, dating between 4100 and 3800 BCE. The second case study focuses on the oldest olive oil in Italy, discovered in Noto and dated to 2100 BCE, confirmed through NMR and GC-MS for the presence of characteristic fatty acids of olive oil. The third case study examines the oldest solid cheese ever analyzed, found in the tomb of Ptahmes in Egypt and dating back 3200 years, with proteomic techniques revealing the presence of typical cheese proteins and an important bacterial contaminant. The fourth case study presents the analysis of oil preserved in Roman amphorae recovered from underwater environments along the coast of Marsala (Sicily), dating between the 2nd and 7th centuries CE, where NMR and other analytical techniques were crucial for their characterization. Lastly, the fifth case study explores the discovery of psychotropic substances in a Ptolemaic Egyptian vessel, unveiling ancient ritual practices through a combination of various analytical methods.