Deciphering Ancient Adhesive Technology: Materials, Uses, and Analytical Approaches

Research in ancient adhesive technologies offers valuable insights into the cognitive and technological capabilities of early humans. Evidence of adhesive use dating back to about 200,000 years highlights their significance . Yet the scope and diversity of the materials, recipes, and uses of these adhesives remain to be fully explored . This knowledge gap extends to various regions and periods, for reasons such as the rarity of artifacts or adhesives made from materials that are less stable with time.

The need for adhesive in the past englobed applications as diverse as masonry, pottery repair, tool assembly, object waterproofing as in basketry, and many more decorative and practical uses. Wood tar and resins, for example, provided durable bonds essential for construction and repair. Protein-based adhesives, made from natural materials like animal hide and bone, were used in tool binding and artistic endeavors, demonstrating their multifaceted utility.

The goal of this Research Topic is to deepen our understanding through detailed analysis of adhesive remains with advanced multi-analytical techniques, historical recipe recreation, and innovative analytical tool development. We aim to answer questions regarding the materials and recipes used, their applications, and their long-term durability. Additionally, this topic explores the hypothesis of strategic production and use of complex adhesive mixtures by artisans in the past.

We invite contributions that address, but are not limited to:

• Materials and recipes used in ancient adhesive production, encompassing both organic (tar, pitch, bitumen, asphalt, resin, gum, rubber, protein-based products) and inorganic (e.g. cement) adhesives, with or without the use of additives (beeswax, fats and oils etc)
• Applications in tool-making, art, architecture, and other fields
• Analytical methods for identifying adhesive residues
• Recreation of historic adhesive recipes for modern use
• Development of non-destructive tools for detecting archaeological adhesive residues

This comprehensive exploration seeks to unravel the complexities of ancient adhesives and their enduring impact on human innovation.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• Mini Review
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• Mini Review
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review

Keywords: archaeological adhesive residues, ancient adhesive production, protein-based binders, historic glue and paste recipes

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.