Dr Theoni Baniou, currently conducting postdoctoral research at the Institut Català d’Arqueologia Clàssica (ICAC-CERCA), has made great advances on the application of Organic Residue Analysis (ORA) to investigate foodways and plant exploitation in the Late Antique site of València la Vella (Riba-roja de Túria). Dr Baniou in collaboration with the archaeologists of the site has selected a series of ceramic vessels from this Visigothic site and the first laboratory results are out! She is now identifying the preserved organic compounds with the aim to reconstruct the contents of the vessels and provide new insights into food preparation, storage, and consumption practices within the settlement.
This is one of the very few organic residue analyses carried out on the Iberian Peninsula at a site dating to Late Antiquity. All the samples analysed are in an excellent state of preservation, with many showing the presence of lipids of animal and plant origin, as well as resin. Stay tuned for the final results!
The laboratory analyses are being carried out at the ICTA laboratories of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB). This work receives partial financial support through the Fundación Palarq analytical grant (Convocatoria de Analíticas 2025–2026) awarded to the project Narrativas químicas en la arcilla: prácticas alimenticias en la ciudad visigoda de València la Vella (Riba-roja de Túria), mediante el análisis de residuos orgánicos. The project is hosted by the Institut Català d’Arqueologia Clàssica (ICAC-CERCA) and is directed by Dr Josep Maria Macias Solé, Dr Francesc Rodríguez Martorell and Dr Theoni Baniou.
