Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of residues from volcanic stone objects

The residues found in the pores of volcanic stone objects were analysed for chemical composition with gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The most abundant components in all the samples were saturated fatty acids, mainly palmitic and stearic acid; in some cases, monoacyglycerols were also detected. It can therefore be hypothesized that the residues derive from animal fats, presumably of ruminant origin given the presence of odd carbon-number acids. These results point to a more probable use of the objects as lamps rather than censers.