PROTEINACEOUS MATERIAL FROM POTSHERDS AND ASSOCIATED SOILS

Amino acid and protein analyses of a range of archaeological potsherds and associated burial soils were performed by direct hydrolysis of po wdered soils and potsherds samples, followed by high performance ion e xchange chromatography. Detection of the eluting amino acids was by po st-column derivatization, using o-phthalaldehyde and fluorescence moni toring. Microgram amounts of hydrolysed amino acids were detected in a ll the potsherds and soils analysed; free amino acids in both potsherd and soils were often below delectable limits (sherds recovered from t he same archaeological context). The protein analyses involved extract ion of powdered soil and potsherd samples with urea buffer,followed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and protein staining. High sensiti vity detection of the proteins used gold staining, following electrotr ansfer on to nitrocellulose. No obvious protein bands of molecular wei ght >10 kDa were detected in any of the potsherd samples that were stu died. In general the amino acid and protein compositions of the indivi dual potsherds were not sufficiently characteristic to suggest that HP LC ''fingerprinting'' of amino acids would significantly contribute to palaeodietary analysis or vessel use. Two potsherds, however, exhibit ed evidence of gelatin/collagen amino acid patterns. The presence of s mall amounts of gelatin were confirmed by the digestion of a >10 kDa p rotein extracted by bacterial collagenase. (C) 1996 Academic Press Lim ited