Abstract This paper reviews recent archaeological research on human-environment interaction in th... more Abstract This paper reviews recent archaeological research on human-environment interaction in the Holocene, taking continental China as its geographic focus. As China is large, geographically diverse, and exceptionally archaeologically and historically well-documented, research here provides critical insight into the functioning of social-natural systems. Based on a broad review of the field as well as recent advances and discoveries, the authors reflect on research themes including climate change and adaptive systems theory, spatial and temporal scale, anthropogenic environmental change, risk management and resilience, and integration of subdisciplines. These converge on three overarching conclusions. First, datasets relevant to climate change and ancient human-environment interaction must be as local and specific as possible, as the timing of environmental change differs locally, and the human response is highly dependent on local social and technological conditions. Second, the field still needs more robust theoretical frameworks for analyzing complex social-natural systems, and especially for integrating data on multiple scales. Third, for this work to contribute meaningfully to contemporary climate change research, effective communication of research findings to the public and to scientists in other disciplines should be incorporated into publication plans.
We report here on stable carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur isotope values from bone collagen of human ... more We report here on stable carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur isotope values from bone collagen of human (n = 20) and faunal (n = 11) remains from the Early Neolithic site of Ganj Dareh, Iran, dating to ca. 10,100 cal. BP. Our focus explores how isotope values of human bone vary by age and sex, and evaluates dietary practices at this site. It also provides a baseline for future studies of subsistence in the early Holocene Central Zagros Mountains, from the site with the first evidence for human ovicaprid management in the Near East. Human remains include individuals of all age groups for dietary reconstruction, as well two Ottoman intrusive burials for temporal and cultural comparison. All analyzed individuals exhibited δ13C and δ15N values consistent with a diet based heavily on C3 terrestrial sources. There is no statistically significant difference between the isotopic compositions of the two sexes, though males appear to show larger variations compared to females. Interesting patterns i...
Ancient human movements through AsiaAncient DNA has allowed us to begin tracing the history of hu... more Ancient human movements through AsiaAncient DNA has allowed us to begin tracing the history of human movements across the globe. Narasimhanet al.identify a complex pattern of human migrations and admixture events in South and Central Asia by performing genetic analysis of more than 500 people who lived over the past 8000 years (see the Perspective by Schaefer and Shapiro). They establish key phases in the population prehistory of Eurasia, including the spread of farming peoples from the Near East, with movements both westward and eastward. The people known as the Yamnaya in the Bronze Age also moved both westward and eastward from a focal area located north of the Black Sea. The overall patterns of genetic clines reflect similar and parallel patterns in South Asia and Europe.Science, this issue p.eaat7487; see also p.981
International journal of paleopathology, Jan 20, 2018
Osteoarthritis, one of the most common pathological conditions observed in human skeletal remains... more Osteoarthritis, one of the most common pathological conditions observed in human skeletal remains, is traditionally thought to only affect the structures within the joint capsule. We examined the osteoarthritic distal femora of an individual from Ancient North China, ca. 475-221 BCE. The standard signs of osteoarthritis, marginal lipping and extensive eburnation, were observed in the patellofemoral compartment of the knee joint. In addition however were bilateral pressure-caused fossae on the extra-articular anterior surfaces of the distal femora 10 mm proximal to the large osteophytes at the apex of the patellar surfaces. Anatomy and possible pathogenesis of knee arthritis are explored in order to come to a tentative aetiology of the extra-articular lesions. These lesions are suggested to be a new criterion for identifying severe knee arthritis. The osteological phenomenon is then placed into archaeological context of the Warring States period of ancient China.
This research investigates the prevalence of human osteoarthritis at Yinxu, the last capital of t... more This research investigates the prevalence of human osteoarthritis at Yinxu, the last capital of the Late Shang dynasty (ca. 1250-1046 B.C.), to gain insights about lifeways of early urban populations in ancient China. A total of 167 skeletal remains from two sites (Xiaomintun and Xin'anzhuang) were analyzed to examine osteoarthritis at eight appendicular joints and through three spinal osseous indicators. High osteoarthritis frequencies were found in the remains with males showing significantly higher osteoarthritis on the upper body (compared to that of the females). This distinctive pattern becomes more obvious for males from Xiaomintun. Furthermore, Xiaomintun people showed significantly higher osteoarthritis in both sexes than those from Xin'anzhuang. Higher upper body osteoarthritis is speculated to be caused by repetitive lifting and carrying heavy-weight objects, disproportionately adding more stress and thus more osseous changes to the upper than the lower body. Such...
The agricultural transition profoundly changed human societies. We sequenced and analysed the fir... more The agricultural transition profoundly changed human societies. We sequenced and analysed the first genome (1.39x) of an early Neolithic woman from Ganj Dareh, in the Zagros Mountains of Iran, a site with early evidence for an economy based on goat herding,ca. 10,000 BP. We show that Western Iran was inhabited by a population genetically most similar to hunter-gatherers from the Caucasus, but distinct from the Neolithic Anatolian people who later brought food production into Europe. The inhabitants of Ganj Dareh made little direct genetic contribution to modern European populations, suggesting they were somewhat isolated from other populations in the region. Runs of homozygosity are of a similar length to those from Neolithic Anatolians, and shorter than those of Caucasus and Western Hunter-Gatherers, suggesting that the inhabitants of Ganj Dareh did not undergo the large population bottleneck suffered by their northern neighbours. While some degree of cultural diffusion between Ana...
We report genome-wide ancient DNA from 44 ancient Near Easterners ranging in time between ~12,000... more We report genome-wide ancient DNA from 44 ancient Near Easterners ranging in time between ~12,000-1,400 BCE, from Natufian hunter-gatherers to Bronze Age farmers. We show that the earliest populations of the Near East derived around half their ancestry from a 'Basal Eurasian' lineage that had little if any Neanderthal admixture and that separated from other non-African lineages prior to their separation from each other. The first farmers of the southern Levant (Israel and Jordan) and Zagros Mountains (Iran) were strongly genetically differentiated, and each descended from local hunter-gatherers. By the time of the Bronze Age, these two populations and Anatolian-related farmers had mixed with each other and with the hunter-gatherers of Europe to drastically reduce genetic differentiation. The impact of the Near Eastern farmers extended beyond the Near East: farmers related to those of Anatolia spread westward into Europe; farmers related to those of the Levant spread southwar...
Since the first demographic transition, ca. 9,000bc, humans have been pushing the boundaries of r... more Since the first demographic transition, ca. 9,000bc, humans have been pushing the boundaries of regions thought suitable for habitation and subsistence activities. In the Middle Euphrates Valley, movement of the boundary between steppe and desert has on occasion transformed communities from being sustainable with the practice of rain fed agriculture to being marginal. This paper examines the adaptive strategy of plant-based food-producing economies for survival in fluctuating marginal environments. Evidence for the reliance on the neurotoxic legume: the grass pea (Lathyrus sativus) in the Near East is reviewed and the expected human skeletal manifestations of the consumption of this palatable famine food are described. From the Neolithic subsistence transition, the reliance on a plant-based agriculture could pose substantial risks to human health, specifically a risk that is still high in regions of droughts and floods such as northeast Africa, the Near East and south Asia. This pap...
Since the first demographic transition c. 11,000 BC humans have pushed the boundaries of regions ... more Since the first demographic transition c. 11,000 BC humans have pushed the boundaries of regions thought habitable. In the Middle Euphrates Valley movement of the steppe/desert boundary has, on occasion, transformed community status from sustainable with rain-fed agriculture to marginal. We examine the adaptive strategy of plant-based food-producing economies for survival in fluctuating marginal environments. Evidence for reliance on the neurotoxic grass pea (Lathyrus sativus) in the Near East is reviewed and expected human skeletal manifestations of consumption of this famine food are described. The Neolithic transition resulted in reliance on plant-based agriculture, posing risks to human health in regions prone to droughts and floods (e.g. northeast Africa, the Near East and south Asia), risks still high today. We suggest that the triad of climate instability, marginal environment and population size beyond local carrying capacity combine to increase risk of lathyrism when grass peas are indigenous.
Abstract This paper reviews recent archaeological research on human-environment interaction in th... more Abstract This paper reviews recent archaeological research on human-environment interaction in the Holocene, taking continental China as its geographic focus. As China is large, geographically diverse, and exceptionally archaeologically and historically well-documented, research here provides critical insight into the functioning of social-natural systems. Based on a broad review of the field as well as recent advances and discoveries, the authors reflect on research themes including climate change and adaptive systems theory, spatial and temporal scale, anthropogenic environmental change, risk management and resilience, and integration of subdisciplines. These converge on three overarching conclusions. First, datasets relevant to climate change and ancient human-environment interaction must be as local and specific as possible, as the timing of environmental change differs locally, and the human response is highly dependent on local social and technological conditions. Second, the field still needs more robust theoretical frameworks for analyzing complex social-natural systems, and especially for integrating data on multiple scales. Third, for this work to contribute meaningfully to contemporary climate change research, effective communication of research findings to the public and to scientists in other disciplines should be incorporated into publication plans.
We report here on stable carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur isotope values from bone collagen of human ... more We report here on stable carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur isotope values from bone collagen of human (n = 20) and faunal (n = 11) remains from the Early Neolithic site of Ganj Dareh, Iran, dating to ca. 10,100 cal. BP. Our focus explores how isotope values of human bone vary by age and sex, and evaluates dietary practices at this site. It also provides a baseline for future studies of subsistence in the early Holocene Central Zagros Mountains, from the site with the first evidence for human ovicaprid management in the Near East. Human remains include individuals of all age groups for dietary reconstruction, as well two Ottoman intrusive burials for temporal and cultural comparison. All analyzed individuals exhibited δ13C and δ15N values consistent with a diet based heavily on C3 terrestrial sources. There is no statistically significant difference between the isotopic compositions of the two sexes, though males appear to show larger variations compared to females. Interesting patterns i...
Ancient human movements through AsiaAncient DNA has allowed us to begin tracing the history of hu... more Ancient human movements through AsiaAncient DNA has allowed us to begin tracing the history of human movements across the globe. Narasimhanet al.identify a complex pattern of human migrations and admixture events in South and Central Asia by performing genetic analysis of more than 500 people who lived over the past 8000 years (see the Perspective by Schaefer and Shapiro). They establish key phases in the population prehistory of Eurasia, including the spread of farming peoples from the Near East, with movements both westward and eastward. The people known as the Yamnaya in the Bronze Age also moved both westward and eastward from a focal area located north of the Black Sea. The overall patterns of genetic clines reflect similar and parallel patterns in South Asia and Europe.Science, this issue p.eaat7487; see also p.981
International journal of paleopathology, Jan 20, 2018
Osteoarthritis, one of the most common pathological conditions observed in human skeletal remains... more Osteoarthritis, one of the most common pathological conditions observed in human skeletal remains, is traditionally thought to only affect the structures within the joint capsule. We examined the osteoarthritic distal femora of an individual from Ancient North China, ca. 475-221 BCE. The standard signs of osteoarthritis, marginal lipping and extensive eburnation, were observed in the patellofemoral compartment of the knee joint. In addition however were bilateral pressure-caused fossae on the extra-articular anterior surfaces of the distal femora 10 mm proximal to the large osteophytes at the apex of the patellar surfaces. Anatomy and possible pathogenesis of knee arthritis are explored in order to come to a tentative aetiology of the extra-articular lesions. These lesions are suggested to be a new criterion for identifying severe knee arthritis. The osteological phenomenon is then placed into archaeological context of the Warring States period of ancient China.
This research investigates the prevalence of human osteoarthritis at Yinxu, the last capital of t... more This research investigates the prevalence of human osteoarthritis at Yinxu, the last capital of the Late Shang dynasty (ca. 1250-1046 B.C.), to gain insights about lifeways of early urban populations in ancient China. A total of 167 skeletal remains from two sites (Xiaomintun and Xin'anzhuang) were analyzed to examine osteoarthritis at eight appendicular joints and through three spinal osseous indicators. High osteoarthritis frequencies were found in the remains with males showing significantly higher osteoarthritis on the upper body (compared to that of the females). This distinctive pattern becomes more obvious for males from Xiaomintun. Furthermore, Xiaomintun people showed significantly higher osteoarthritis in both sexes than those from Xin'anzhuang. Higher upper body osteoarthritis is speculated to be caused by repetitive lifting and carrying heavy-weight objects, disproportionately adding more stress and thus more osseous changes to the upper than the lower body. Such...
The agricultural transition profoundly changed human societies. We sequenced and analysed the fir... more The agricultural transition profoundly changed human societies. We sequenced and analysed the first genome (1.39x) of an early Neolithic woman from Ganj Dareh, in the Zagros Mountains of Iran, a site with early evidence for an economy based on goat herding,ca. 10,000 BP. We show that Western Iran was inhabited by a population genetically most similar to hunter-gatherers from the Caucasus, but distinct from the Neolithic Anatolian people who later brought food production into Europe. The inhabitants of Ganj Dareh made little direct genetic contribution to modern European populations, suggesting they were somewhat isolated from other populations in the region. Runs of homozygosity are of a similar length to those from Neolithic Anatolians, and shorter than those of Caucasus and Western Hunter-Gatherers, suggesting that the inhabitants of Ganj Dareh did not undergo the large population bottleneck suffered by their northern neighbours. While some degree of cultural diffusion between Ana...
We report genome-wide ancient DNA from 44 ancient Near Easterners ranging in time between ~12,000... more We report genome-wide ancient DNA from 44 ancient Near Easterners ranging in time between ~12,000-1,400 BCE, from Natufian hunter-gatherers to Bronze Age farmers. We show that the earliest populations of the Near East derived around half their ancestry from a 'Basal Eurasian' lineage that had little if any Neanderthal admixture and that separated from other non-African lineages prior to their separation from each other. The first farmers of the southern Levant (Israel and Jordan) and Zagros Mountains (Iran) were strongly genetically differentiated, and each descended from local hunter-gatherers. By the time of the Bronze Age, these two populations and Anatolian-related farmers had mixed with each other and with the hunter-gatherers of Europe to drastically reduce genetic differentiation. The impact of the Near Eastern farmers extended beyond the Near East: farmers related to those of Anatolia spread westward into Europe; farmers related to those of the Levant spread southwar...
Since the first demographic transition, ca. 9,000bc, humans have been pushing the boundaries of r... more Since the first demographic transition, ca. 9,000bc, humans have been pushing the boundaries of regions thought suitable for habitation and subsistence activities. In the Middle Euphrates Valley, movement of the boundary between steppe and desert has on occasion transformed communities from being sustainable with the practice of rain fed agriculture to being marginal. This paper examines the adaptive strategy of plant-based food-producing economies for survival in fluctuating marginal environments. Evidence for the reliance on the neurotoxic legume: the grass pea (Lathyrus sativus) in the Near East is reviewed and the expected human skeletal manifestations of the consumption of this palatable famine food are described. From the Neolithic subsistence transition, the reliance on a plant-based agriculture could pose substantial risks to human health, specifically a risk that is still high in regions of droughts and floods such as northeast Africa, the Near East and south Asia. This pap...
Since the first demographic transition c. 11,000 BC humans have pushed the boundaries of regions ... more Since the first demographic transition c. 11,000 BC humans have pushed the boundaries of regions thought habitable. In the Middle Euphrates Valley movement of the steppe/desert boundary has, on occasion, transformed community status from sustainable with rain-fed agriculture to marginal. We examine the adaptive strategy of plant-based food-producing economies for survival in fluctuating marginal environments. Evidence for reliance on the neurotoxic grass pea (Lathyrus sativus) in the Near East is reviewed and expected human skeletal manifestations of consumption of this famine food are described. The Neolithic transition resulted in reliance on plant-based agriculture, posing risks to human health in regions prone to droughts and floods (e.g. northeast Africa, the Near East and south Asia), risks still high today. We suggest that the triad of climate instability, marginal environment and population size beyond local carrying capacity combine to increase risk of lathyrism when grass peas are indigenous.
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