Study of Food Residues on Prehistoric Ceramics from the Nok Cultural Zone, Kaduna State

The Nok cultural tradition of north-central Nigeria, dated broadly from the first millennium BCE to the early first millennium CE, is best known internationally for its terracotta figurines, but its ceramic assemblages also include a range of utilitarian vessels whose functional histories have rarely been investigated. This study examines food residue evidence on sherds from previously excavated and curated collections associated with Nok-related sites in Kaduna State, with the aim of inferring diet and vessel use. Working within the constraints of a student-level project, the research employs macroscopic examination of interior surfaces, scanning for charring, encrustation, and lipid staining as primary indicators of food use, supplemented by limited low-power microscopy. Results suggest that a significant proportion of examined sherds bear evidence consistent with cooking use, including carbonized organic films on interior bases and evidence of repeated thermal exposure. Comparative analysis with recently published lipid residue studies from contemporaneous West African ceramic assemblages provides interpretive benchmarks, even where instrumental analysis was not available for the present study. The research discusses the challenges of applying bioarchaeochemical methods within Nigerian university laboratory settings and advocates for investment in analytical infrastructure at Ahmadu Bello University and similar institutions. The study contributes a methodological template for student-level food residue analysis using accessible observational tools. Keywords: food residues, Nok tradition, ceramics, Kaduna State, vessel function.