Savouring the past: A lipid residue analysis of Middle Neolithic dietary patterns at Alveberget, Southern Norway

Abstract

This thesis will examine what dietary patterns were present at the Pitted Ware culture (PWC) site Alveberget in Southeast Norway, based on organic residue analysis conducted on a selection of the excavated ceramic sherds from this site. This was compared to the result from other Scandinavian PWC sites in Gotland, Sweden. The aim of this paper is to extend our current knowledge about the PWC, their food production and the function of the vessels excavated at Alveberget. To investigate this research question evidence was gathered through archaeometric methods, primarily lipid analysis using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) on the Alveberget material, compared to the archaeozoology and the stable isotope analysis on the Ajvide, Ire, Västerbjers site.