Starch granules have always been an abundant material. These plant products are transported everywhere, influenced by several pre- and post-depositional processes. By doing research on starch and...Show moreStarch granules have always been an abundant material. These plant products are transported everywhere, influenced by several pre- and post-depositional processes. By doing research on starch and how it is affected by natural or anthropogenic processes it is possible to interpret past activities. This thesis focuses on the trajectory of starch from the plant to human dental calculus. Not all complex processes of the biology and preservation of starch and dental calculus are understood yet. This may cause biases when interpreting the result. These knowledge gaps are acknowledged, in contrast to biases possibly caused by the methods used to extract the information starch and dental calculus. The problem is that several methods exist side-by-side in the young field of study, and that there exists no clear evaluation on their quality. The aims of this research project are to 1) compare three starch extraction methods and 2) to improve the skills and knowledge of the author in applying these methods. The relevance of this work lays in detecting and solving problems 1) observed in the background information and 2) caused by the application or deviation from selected extraction methods. The research focuses besides on 3) a comparison of quantitative results and possible influences. The hypothesis was posed that no quantitative differences could be observed. Three distinct extraction protocols and nine teeth from three individuals are selected. The protocols are chosen based on the involvement of different chemicals. The teeth are derived from the 1984 excavation at the St. John cemetery, ‘s Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands. They are selected based on large calculus deposits. Different steps in the methodological process are defined, namely sampling, recovery, recognition and quantification. The protocols are performed and the results evaluated. From the results it appears that the hypothesis can be confirmed, under the defined influences and circumstances. Observed problems after critical assessment on both background information and protocols led to the conclusion that future research focusing on particular problems is necessary in order to increase the reliability of results and their archaeological interpretations.Show less
