Masterclass: What's Cooking? Lipid Analysis of Pottery (Patreon)

It's amazing what can be learnt from a small pottery sherd. The type of pot, the fabric it was made from and even where and when it was made.

But thanks to the wonders of lipid analysis, we can often tell whether it was used to cook foods, the type of foods cooked – and even if it was boiled or fried!

How does it work? Dani Wootton caught up recently with Dr Julie Dunne of the University of Bristol to find out.

As Julie explains in this fascinating interview, she was intrigued by the idea of applying scientific processes to archaeological questions. Chemical analysis can reveal a huge amount about our humanity and social interaction.

In fact, lipid analysis is not just insightful on pottery and cooking – it has even been used to shed light on organic materials recovered from shipwrecks.

Julie's work recently made the news. Find out more here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-49813039