Palaeodietary implications from stable isotopic analysis of residues on prehistoric Ontario ceramics

Stable isotopic analyses of charred residues encrusted on the interiors of ceramics can be used to infer the nature of the foods that were prepared in the ceramics. We have analysed residues from archaeological sites in Northern and Southern Ontario, from both before and after AD 600, the time of the introduction of agriculture to this region which was largely based on maize. The residues appear to be mainly composed of mixtures of C3 plants, …