Previous research by J.S. Mills and R. White deals with the discovery and excavation of a Bronze Age shipwreck at Ulu Burun in southern Turkey. As part of the diverse cargo amphorae were discovered, a number of which contained the resin of Pistacia trees. Mills and White assigned the botanical origin of the resin to Pistacia atlantica. However, the Pistacia genus includes many resin-producing trees, all of which have been economically important from ancient times to the present. With the help of archaeologist Sabine Beckmann in Crete, we have obtained several samples of Pistacia resin. We then analyzed the samples using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS). GC-MS enabled us to separate the components in our samples and acquire information about the molecular structure and weight of these various constituents, yielding information helpful in identify these components. Existing literature of Pistacia resins deals entirely with the identification of triterpenes; however, by analysis of all the constituents of these samples, especially those of lower molecular weights, we were able to find distinguishing components for the Pistacia species from different geographic locations. There were a number of compounds common to all resins analyzed, while others seem to be particular to various species, and others to particular regional areas. These analyses will be helpful in identifying the botanical origin of the archeological resin, which may support or disprove Mills and White's identification. This information will be useful in determining the possible place of origin and destination of this ship.
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