Research on the species identification and craftsmanship of the leather on boots (220AD ∼420AD) using integrated approach

The Xinjiang region of China is an important transportation hub on the Silk Road, and various types of artcrafts have been unearthed there, reflecting exchanges between Eastern and Western cultures. In this article, boots belonging to the Wei and Jin dynasties (220 CE similar to 420 CE) are described and provide an example of how people used local materials to fabricate and decorate leather boots. Proteomics is currently effective method. For the lower limit of detection by proteomics, the pre-treatment of samples need to be studied for the extremely trace amounts or the poor preservation conditions. A new material named Fe3 O4 @CS/RGO assisting with proteomics was prepared. Regarding the leather on boot, the animal species and composition of tanning agent used were determined by extracting trace collagen peptides with Fe3 O4 @CS/RGO, liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and pyrolysis mass spectrometry (Py-MS). Ten collagen peptide segments were detected that were consistent with characteristic peptide segments of cattle, including protein codes A0A3Q1LZN8, P02453 and Q08E14, suggesting that the boot leather was cowhide. In addition, pyrolysis mass spectrometry was performed with the sample, and the characteristic spectrum of DL-cystine and indole was found. Unique whey protein in yogurt and milk is rich in cystine and tryptophan, which are not found in leather collagen, and the detected indole is a metabolite produced by tryptophan metabolism. Yogurt solution was previously demonstrated to be used in leather tanning agents. Many archaeological leather unearthed in Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Qinghai and other places in China had been proven to the craftsmanship of tanning were different, including vegetable tanning, aluminum tanning, iron tanning, oil tanning, and the boots provided a representative example for another craftsmanship-the yogurt solution tanning. (c) 2024 Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR). Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.