Proteins in Archaeology: From Blood on Stones to Proteomics

Abstract

Protein residues can persist even on the surface of stone tools over archaeological time spans. The structure of proteins contains information—amino acid abundances or sequence, specialized structures, etc.—that can be used to identify the origin of such residues. Chemical tests have long been used to identify haemoglobin, a protein in blood, though these tests suffer from poor specificity. Antibodies undergo highly selective reactions with species-specific proteins, but in archaeological contexts, the higher-order protein structure upon which that specificity relies is often lost or degraded. The reliability and appropriateness of blood test strips and immunological tests in archaeology remains a contentious issue. New analytical chemistry approaches now make it possible to directly study protein structure, making it feasible to bring proteomics into archaeology. Biomolecular mass spectrometry is revolutionizing the study of protein residues and the identification of fragmentary bone based on the sequence of the collagen contained therein.