Extraction and analysis of total lipids in late Iron Age Bath-shaped basins from the Levant as a means of assessing vessel function

Four Late Iron Age bath-shaped basins from three sites in the Southern Levant were subjected to organic residue analysis by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to test the hypothesis that the vessels were used for wool scouring and fulling. All lipid extracts of the samples contained saturated and unsaturated lipids. These were compared to the same compounds in a series of reference materials selected based on ethno-historical and literary documentation. A final comparison was made to lipids extracted from a bath-shaped basin from Turkey that had previously been found to contain a residue similar in compounds to date palm kernel oil. Results demonstrate that the total lipid extracts (TLEs) from the bath-shaped basins are more similar to each other and to date palm kernel oil than to the other comparative materials. This supports the accepted view that bath-shaped basins in the Levant, comparable in date and shape, had a common function, but suggests functional alternatives to traditional interpretations of human burial or bathing. While wool working is a viable hypothesis, it was not possible to identify the specific activity as several different behaviors could result in a similar organic residue.