Conference Presentations by Barbara Huber
Poster at the 11th ICAANE in Munich, Germany.
By Barbara Huber, Arnulf Hausleiter, Michèle Dinie... more Poster at the 11th ICAANE in Munich, Germany.
By Barbara Huber, Arnulf Hausleiter, Michèle Dinies, Jan Christopher, Ina Säumel and Thi Lam Huong Pham
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Dried resins obtained from the trees in the family of Burseraceae, such as frankincense or myrrh,... more Dried resins obtained from the trees in the family of Burseraceae, such as frankincense or myrrh, have been important commodities in antique societies due to their pleasant scent when burned. The creation of an aromatic fragrant smoke used for a variety of different functions is attested by textual sources from Egypt and Mesopotamia as well as by iconographic depictions. Since ephemeral phenomena such as odours or smells can only be studied through their indirect effects, the investigation of objects used to produce them provides important insights. Excavations at the oasis of Tayma, carried out by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage and the German Archaeological Institute, funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), revealed several vessels and cuboid containers, interpreted as incense burners, with traces of burning and preserved residues.
This presentation aims at presenting the results of a current interdisciplinary study on incense burners from Tayma. Organic residue analysis has been performed (and is still in progress) on ancient residues adhered to the interior of the burners to identify the nature and origins of used organic remains. That allows us to determine the kinds of aromatics used in Tayma from the Middle Bronze Age until Late Antiquity, as well as about possible provenances of the traded resins, giving grounds for conclusions about trade networks as well as mobility and transport patterns on the Arabian Peninsula.
Chromatographic and mass spectrometric analysis of the ancient residues from Tayma carried out at the laboratories of Technical University of Berlin will be compared with samples from modern Boswellia, Commiphora and Pistacia species.
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Talks by Barbara Huber
Talk at the 11th ICAANE in Munich, Germany, 3rd - 7th April 2018
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Talk at the 1st Saudi Archaeology Convention, Riyadh, 7th to 9th November 2017
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Papers by Barbara Huber
Agronomy
The Prunus genus contains many of the most economically significant arboreal crops, cultivated gl... more The Prunus genus contains many of the most economically significant arboreal crops, cultivated globally, today. Despite the economic significance of these domesticated species, the pre-cultivation ranges, processes of domestication, and routes of prehistoric dispersal for all of the economically significant species remain unresolved. Among the European plums, even the taxonomic classification has been heavily debated over the past several decades. In this manuscript, we compile archaeobotanical evidence for the most prominent large-fruiting members of Prunus, including peach, apricot, almonds, sloes, and the main plum types. By mapping out the chronology and geographic distributions of these species, we are able to discuss aspects of their domestication and dispersal more clearly, as well as identify gaps in the data and unanswered questions. We suggest that a clearer understanding of these processes will say a lot about ancient peoples, as the cultivation of delayed return crops is...
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The origins and dispersal of the chicken across the ancient world remains one of the most enigmat... more The origins and dispersal of the chicken across the ancient world remains one of the most enigmatic questions regarding Eurasian domesticated animals1,2. The lack of agreement regarding the timing and center of origin is due, in large part, to issues with morphological identifications, a lack of direct dating, and poor preservation of thin bird bones. Historical sources attest to the prominence of chickens in southern Europe and southwest Asia by the last centuries BC3. Likewise, art historical depictions of chickens and anthropomorphic rooster-human chimeras are reoccurring motifs in Central Asian prehistoric and historic traditions4-6. However, when this ritually and economically significant bird spread along the trans-Eurasian exchange routes has remained a mystery. Here we show that chickens were widely raised by people at villages across southern Central Asia from the third century BC through medieval periods for their eggs and likely also meat. In this study, we present archae...
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Nature Human Behaviour, 2022
Olfaction has profoundly shaped human experience and behaviour from the deep past through to the ... more Olfaction has profoundly shaped human experience and behaviour from the deep past through to the present day. Advanced biomolecular and 'omics' sciences enable more direct insights into past scents, offering new options to explore critical aspects of ancient society and lifeways as well as the historical meanings of smell.
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Molecules, 2022
Biochemical and biomolecular archaeology is increasingly used to elucidate the consumption, use, ... more Biochemical and biomolecular archaeology is increasingly used to elucidate the consumption, use, origin, and trade of plants in the past. However, it can be challenging to use biomarkers to identify the taxonomic origin of archaeological plants due to limited knowledge of molecular survival and degradation for many key plant compounds in archaeological contexts. To gain a fundamental understanding of the chemical alterations associated with chemical degradation processes in ancient samples, we conducted accelerated degradation experiments with essential oil derived from cedar (Cedrus atlantica) exposed to materials commonly found in the archaeological record. Using GC-MS and multivariate analysis, we detected a total of 102 compounds across 19 treatments that were classified into three groups. The first group comprised compounds that were abundant in fresh cedar oil but would be unlikely to remain in ancient residues due to rapid degradation. The second group consisted of compounds ...
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Throughout the excavations at the oasis of Tayma, incense burners were discovered showing both tr... more Throughout the excavations at the oasis of Tayma, incense burners were discovered showing both traces of burning and residues of burnt aromatics. The multidisciplinary study of these objects aimed at reconstructing the scented world and olfactory landscape of the ancient oasis. By means of LC-ESI-MS/ MS techniques, the characteristic profile of secondary metabolites of resins of Boswellia, Commiphora and Pistacia spp. were detected. The results demonstrate the use different resins in either public, funerary or domestic contexts over more than two millennia (Late Bronze to Late Antiquity). The people of Tayma purchased goods for their own use, which implies that the oasis was not just a transit point on the "Incense Road", but an active customer.
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e-Forschungsberichte des DAI, 2018
Throughout the excavations at the oasis of Tayma, incense burners were discovered showing both tr... more Throughout the excavations at the oasis of Tayma, incense burners were discovered showing both traces of burning and residues of burnt aromatics. The multidisciplinary study of these objects aimed at reconstructing the scented world and olfactory landscape of the ancient oasis. By means of LC-ESI-MS/MS techniques, the characteristic profile of secondary metabolites of resins of Boswellia, Commiphora and Pistacia spp. were detected. The results demonstrate the use of different resins in either public, funerary or domestic contexts over more than two millennia (Late Bronze to Late Antiquity). The people of Tayma purchased goods for their own use, which implies that the oasis was not just a transit point on the “Incense Road”, but an active customer.
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Editorials by Barbara Huber
by Aydin Abar, Maria Bianca D'Anna, Georg Cyrus, Vera Egbers, Barbara Huber, Christine Kainert, Birgül Ögüt, Nolwen Rol, Giulia Russo, Julia Schönicke, and Francelin Tourtet Pearls, Politics and Pistachios. Essays in Anthropology and Memories on the Occasion of Susan Pollock's 65 th Birthday, 2021
This book is a multivocal and heartfelt “Thank You!” present to Susan Pollock on her 65th birthda... more This book is a multivocal and heartfelt “Thank You!” present to Susan Pollock on her 65th birthday. In each of the 46 contributions the 63 authors from West and Central AsiaAmerica and Europs celebrate Susan Pollock as a multi-facetted and brilliant scholar and colleague, as a devoted and outstanding teacher and as an empathetic mentor. The range of topics covered in the articles spans from the first occurrence of Homo sapiens on the Iranian Highland, to the relation of violence and epidemics in North America, to the research of the underrepresentation of female scholars in a male dominated Publikationslandschaft, as well as the role of politics in archaeological practice. Together the authors present the diversity of archaeological practice neither limited by time and space, nor by methodical conventions.
The contributions are organized in three chapters. The first chapter „Taking a Closer Look…“ brings together in-depth studies of prehistoric communities and object analyses. which offer a plethora of different approaches to the past. The second chapter„… While Keeping the Big Picture“ offers contributions of larger scale, in time and geographically, of migrations, prehistoric economies, conflicts within communities and societies, as well as wars between different groups. The closing chapter „Questioning the Discipline“ frames methodological questions, scrutinizes current discourses in archaeologies and the specificities and problems ranging from decolonization to the role of women in archaeological disciplines. The chapters are interlocked with personal anecdotes and essays, chronicling the authors’ experiences they shared with Susan at different times in her career.
A big “Thank You!” from 63 authors in 46 contributions to Susan Pollock for collaborating in joint projects and her manifold support which shaped them into self-determined scholars.
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Conference Presentations by Barbara Huber
By Barbara Huber, Arnulf Hausleiter, Michèle Dinies, Jan Christopher, Ina Säumel and Thi Lam Huong Pham
This presentation aims at presenting the results of a current interdisciplinary study on incense burners from Tayma. Organic residue analysis has been performed (and is still in progress) on ancient residues adhered to the interior of the burners to identify the nature and origins of used organic remains. That allows us to determine the kinds of aromatics used in Tayma from the Middle Bronze Age until Late Antiquity, as well as about possible provenances of the traded resins, giving grounds for conclusions about trade networks as well as mobility and transport patterns on the Arabian Peninsula.
Chromatographic and mass spectrometric analysis of the ancient residues from Tayma carried out at the laboratories of Technical University of Berlin will be compared with samples from modern Boswellia, Commiphora and Pistacia species.
Talks by Barbara Huber
Papers by Barbara Huber
Editorials by Barbara Huber
The contributions are organized in three chapters. The first chapter „Taking a Closer Look…“ brings together in-depth studies of prehistoric communities and object analyses. which offer a plethora of different approaches to the past. The second chapter„… While Keeping the Big Picture“ offers contributions of larger scale, in time and geographically, of migrations, prehistoric economies, conflicts within communities and societies, as well as wars between different groups. The closing chapter „Questioning the Discipline“ frames methodological questions, scrutinizes current discourses in archaeologies and the specificities and problems ranging from decolonization to the role of women in archaeological disciplines. The chapters are interlocked with personal anecdotes and essays, chronicling the authors’ experiences they shared with Susan at different times in her career.
A big “Thank You!” from 63 authors in 46 contributions to Susan Pollock for collaborating in joint projects and her manifold support which shaped them into self-determined scholars.
By Barbara Huber, Arnulf Hausleiter, Michèle Dinies, Jan Christopher, Ina Säumel and Thi Lam Huong Pham
This presentation aims at presenting the results of a current interdisciplinary study on incense burners from Tayma. Organic residue analysis has been performed (and is still in progress) on ancient residues adhered to the interior of the burners to identify the nature and origins of used organic remains. That allows us to determine the kinds of aromatics used in Tayma from the Middle Bronze Age until Late Antiquity, as well as about possible provenances of the traded resins, giving grounds for conclusions about trade networks as well as mobility and transport patterns on the Arabian Peninsula.
Chromatographic and mass spectrometric analysis of the ancient residues from Tayma carried out at the laboratories of Technical University of Berlin will be compared with samples from modern Boswellia, Commiphora and Pistacia species.
The contributions are organized in three chapters. The first chapter „Taking a Closer Look…“ brings together in-depth studies of prehistoric communities and object analyses. which offer a plethora of different approaches to the past. The second chapter„… While Keeping the Big Picture“ offers contributions of larger scale, in time and geographically, of migrations, prehistoric economies, conflicts within communities and societies, as well as wars between different groups. The closing chapter „Questioning the Discipline“ frames methodological questions, scrutinizes current discourses in archaeologies and the specificities and problems ranging from decolonization to the role of women in archaeological disciplines. The chapters are interlocked with personal anecdotes and essays, chronicling the authors’ experiences they shared with Susan at different times in her career.
A big “Thank You!” from 63 authors in 46 contributions to Susan Pollock for collaborating in joint projects and her manifold support which shaped them into self-determined scholars.