The 'Archaeology meets Science' project is currently transforming our understanding of the Minoan and Mycenaean civilisations, through the in-depth application of state of the art scientific analyses to ceramic artefacts and skeletal material. This book is the fruit of this acclaimed research, which was carried out between 1997 and 2003, and presented in an exhibition in a number of museums across Europe and the United States, starting with the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. Moving beyond the standard archaeological format of illustrations with descriptions of contexts, the book analyses each object from the inside , and consequently each has a different story to tell. Organic residue and stable isotope analysis has extended our knowledge beyond anything previously gleaned through conventional archaeological research, and we now have a much better understanding of the food and drink consumed by ordinary people in Bronze Age Greece. There are some fascinating insights, such as the origin of modern Greek retsina, which was traced first to the time of Agamemnon, then to Crete in the 17th century BC and finally to the Early Minoan Period, c. 2000 BC. The book provides the primary scientific evidence on which the world renowned scientists who have carried out this work have based their conclusions.

• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• Preface and Acknowledgements
• Contributors
• Introduction by Martin K. Jones
• Archaeology Meets Science
• Archaeology Meets Science
• Conventions and Abbreviations
• Section 1 - Organic Residue Analysis Ceramic Artefacts
  • Introduction The History and Present State of Organic Residue Analysis
    • References
  • Certainty and Doubt in Organic Residue Analysis
    • Acknowledgement
    • References
  • Analysis of Organic Remains in the Fabric of Minoan and Mycenaean Pottery Sherds by Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry
    • I. Introduction
    • II. Method of Analysis
    • III. Identification of Foodstuffs and Beverages from Organic Compounds
    • IV. Contaminants
    • V. Ancient Potsherds
    • V.3. Chamalevri, Bolanis Workshop MMIA (ca. 2160–2000 B.C.) Table 5
    • V.5. Cave of Gerani Middle to Late Neolithic (ca. 4500–3800 B.C.) Table 6
    • V.6. Monastiraki MM II (ca. 1900–1700 B.C.)
    • I. Summary
  • Absorbed Organic Residues in Pottery from the Minoan Settlement of Pseira, Crete
    • I. Introduction
    • II. Data Presentation
    • III. Contaminants
    • IV. Results
    • V. Summary
  • Organic Residue Analysis: Pseira
    • Methods
    • Results
  • Organic Residue Analysis: Chrysokamino
    • I. Introduction
    • II. Method of Analysis
    • III. Results
    • IV. Conclusion
  • Chrysokamino, Occupational Health and the Earliest Medicines in the Aegean
    • 1. Introduction
    • 2. The Occupational Health of Copper Smelting
    • 3. The Earliest Medicines in the Aegean
    • 4. Conclusion
  • Organic Residue Analysis of Ceramics from the Neolithic Cave of Gerani, West Crete
    • Methodology
    • Results and Discussion
    • Conclusions
  • Organic Residues in Pottery of the Bronze Age in Greece
    • Foreword
    • Introduction
    • The Development of Analytical Protocols
    • Preliminary investigations
    • Sample Pre-treatment
    • Solvent Extraction Assessment
    • Effect of temperature on the extraction process
    • Method of Analysis
    • Standard samples, specimens and mixtures
    • Specimens from the Late Minoan III Cemetery of Armenoi data descriptions
    • Experimental data and interpretation
    • Experimental data and interpretation.
    • Experimental data and interpretation.
    • Experimental data and interpretation.
    • Experimental data and interpretation.
    • Specimens from Thebes
    • Experimental data and interpretation.
    • Experimental data and interpretation.
    • Experimental data and interpretation.
    • Experimental data and interpretation.
    • Experimental data and interpretation.
    • Experimental data and interpretation.
    • Conclusions
  • Alternative Approaches to Organic Residue Analysis: Chania Kastelli, Crete; The Early Helladic Cemetery at Kalamaki; the Mycenaean Settlement on Salamis; the Late Helladic Cemetery at Sykia; Vivara, Settlement of Punta d’Alaca, Bay of Naples, Late Helladic I–II
    • Sample Management
    • Sample Preparation and Extraction
    • Instrumentation
    • Structure Elucidation and Interpretation
    • Molecular Profiling
    • Diagnostic ions, molecular species and inferences
    • Results and Discussion
    • Results and inferences for individual specimens
  • Atypical Calcium Carbonate Precipitates in Narrow-necked Late Helladic Jars: A Potential Indicator of Organic Residues
    • Abstract
    • Introduction
    • Archaeology
    • Methodology
    • Results
    • Interpretation
    • Conclusions
  • The Chemical Identification of Resinated Wine and a Mixed Fermented Beverage in Bronze-Age Pottery Vessels of Greece
    • I. Background to the Investigation and Experimental Methods
    • II. Experimental Results
• Section 2 - Methods and Primary Evidence for Stable Isotope Analyses Neolithic and Bronze Age Sites Skeletal Material
  • Stable Isotope Evidence of Past Human Diet at the Sites of the Neolithic Cave of Gerani; the Late Minoan III Cemetery of Armenoi; Grave Circles A and B at the Palace Site of Mycenae; and Late Helladic Chamber tombs
    • Introduction
    • Part 1: Stable isotope analysis for reconstructing past human diets, an introduction
    • Part 2: The isotope data from the Neolithic Cave of Gerani; the Late Minoan III Cemetery of Armenoi; Grave Circles A and B at the Palace site of Mycenae; Late Helladic Chamber Tombs
  • Stable Isotope Results from New Sites in the Peloponnese: Cemeteries at Sykia, Kalamaki and Spaliareika
    • Sample selection and preparation
    • Isotope results from the three sites
    • Discussion
    • Summary and Conclusions
• Section 3 - Lessons for the Future
  • Protocols Ceramic Artefacts and Skeletal Material
    • Protocol for Ceramic Artefacts (Organic Residue Analysis)
    • Plastic bags
    • Glue
    • Washing
    • Protocol for Skeletal Material (Stable Isotope Analysis)
  • Biomolecular Archaeology in the Aegean Context: Problems and Prospects
    • Contamination
    • Degradation
    • The questioning archaeologist
• Appendix - Site Descriptions and Catalogue Entries
• Index
• EUM Numbers