A recent article on the study of pollen grains trapped within adhesives substances from La Marmotta wooden sickles has been published. The study applies an innovative palynological and experimental approach to adhesive materials sampled from neolithic wooden sickles from the waterlogged archaeological site of La Marmotta near Lake Bracciano (Central Italy).
The results showed that the tools were employed for harvesting cereals, highlighting the occurrence of Hordeum-type and Avena-Triticum-type pollen, in agreement with carpological evidence. The resin used as adhesive material from one sickle was exceptionally rich in Oenanthe-type pollen, indicating deliberate cutting and collection of plants with toxic and psychotropic properties. The creation of comparative modern sickles equipped with a modern adhesive material (created based on GC-MS analyses of the neolithic specimens), allowed us to better understand the taphonomic processes involved in trapping micro-remains within the glue during the use of the tools.
The article can be accessed here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2024.105970