Many plants contain compounds that are unique to that particular plant. These “biomarker” compounds can be especially useful for archaeological investigations where the occurrence of specific compounds in residues from artifacts can be used to establish the use or presence of certain plants. Biomarker compounds have linked preColumbian ceramic beakers to a Native American purification drink, known as black drink, suggesting the vessels were employed in rituals. Black drink can be prepared from Yaupon Holly or Ilex vomitoria which would cause the psychoactive experiences thought to be vital to indigenous religious experiences. Our study was to test of the presence of black drink in a particular class of ceramic beakers from the Early and Middle Mississippian cultural period (AD 1050-1300). We are using caffeine as a biomarker as this alkaloid present in <i>Ilex vomitoria</i> but is generally rare in other plants exploited by prehistoric cultures in North America. We are using gas chromatography – mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and GC-MS/MS to analyze solvent extracts from residues scraped from the interior of ceramic beakers housed at the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Biomarker analysis of ceramic beakers from the Early/Middle Mississippian cultures

2019 Spring National Meeting

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