- Department of Anthropology
University of Alberta
Edmonton, AB T6G 2H4
Canada - 1-780-492-2062 office
Andrzej W Weber
University of Alberta, Anthropology, Faculty Member
- Subsistance Strategies (Archaeology), Human Behavioral Ecology, Evolutionary Archaeology, Hunter-Gatherers (Anthropology), Archaeological Science, Hunters, Fishers and Gatherers' Archaeology, and 13 moreArchaeological Theory, Cultural Transmission (Evolutionary Biology), Climate Change In Aquatic Systems, Mortuary archaeology, Bayesian Radiocarbon Dating, Stable Isotope Analysis, Mesolithic Archaeology, Aquatic Ecology, Evolutionary Ecology, Stable isotope paleoclimatology, Freshwater Biology, Evolutionary Game Theory, and Freshwater Ecologyedit
- Research After graduating with MA and PhD degrees from the Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland, I emigrated t... moreResearch
After graduating with MA and PhD degrees from the Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland, I emigrated to Canada and switched my interests from early farming communities (Neolithic) of Central Europe to Mesolithic and Neolithic hunter-gatherers of the Lake Baikal region, Siberia.
Since 1994, in collaboration with Russian colleagues form the Irkutsk State University, I excavated in the Baikal region two stratified habitation sites (Gorelyi Les and Sagan-Zaba) and three cemeteries (Khuzhir-Nuge XIV, Kurma XI, and Shamanka II). These sites, and many other excavated previously by Russian archaeologists, produced rich collections of human and animal faunal remains which are now being examined by the multidisciplinary Baikal Archaeology Project based at the University of Alberta (http://baikal.arts.ualberta.ca/). Main research objectives involve patterns of long-term culture change and spatial differentiation among the middle Holocene (c. 8000–3000 cal BP) hunter-gatherers of the region. More specific projects include subsistence activities, hunting and fishing techniques, diet, mobility patterns, mortuary ritual and patterns of cemetery use, social organization, human skeletal biology, as well as climatic and environmental variability within the broader region.
This research project is currently under expansion to include also hunter-gatherers, prehistoric and historic, from Hokkaido, Japan, to lead eventually to a comparison between the two regions.
The Hokkaido branch of the project will include examination of human and faunal osteological remains stored in various Hokkaido research institutions with the same methods applied to the Baikal materials (e.g., extensive radiocarbon dating, carbon, nitrogen, and strontium isotopes, trace elements, ancient DNA, human ostebiography and biomechanics, zooarchaeology, and climate and environment modeling. Fieldwork will start in summer 2011 and will include excavations of two sites on Rebun Island, northwest of Hokkaido. Funadomari is a shell midden with human burials extending as far back as Middle Jomon while Hamanaka is a Late Jomon cemetery.
Opportunities for graduate students
The Baikal Archaeology Project, including its new Hokkaido branch, offers ample and diverse opportunities for graduate students at the MA and PhD levels as much in the field as with laboratory work and theoretical approaches. I am particularly interested in application of the optimal foraging theory to Baikal and Hokkaido hunter-gatherers, modeling of past hunter-gatherer diets based on carbon and nitrogen stable isotope data, and modeling of culture transmission mechanisms in hunter-gatherers, and other topics as mentioned in my own research interests.edit
Creating multi-tooth sequences of micro-sampled stable isotope (SI) analytical data can help track 20+ years of individual dietary history. Inferences about individual and population level behavioral patterns require cross-calibration of... more
Creating multi-tooth sequences of micro-sampled stable isotope (SI) analytical data can help track 20+ years of individual dietary history. Inferences about individual and population level behavioral patterns require cross-calibration of the timing of dietary changes recorded by each tooth. Dentin sections from contemporaneous tissues (eg, in M1 and M2) reflect dietary signature for the time of growth. Contemporary sections should produce similar values, allowing alignment of temporally overlapping portions of teeth into multi-tooth sequences. Published methods for determining the ages of incremental sections do not provide guidance for adjustment when poor alignment between individual tooth sequences is encountered. The primary objective is to address this problem; examine cause(s), assess the effects of the standard growth-model on available age-assessment techniques, and provide a viable solution. Investigating difficulty in aligning a 3-molar sequence at Shamanka II, an Early Ne...
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with In this Article, Angela M. Taravella and Melissa A. Wilson Sayres have been added to the author list (associated with: School of Life Sciences, Center for Evolution and Medicine, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University,... more
with In this Article, Angela M. Taravella and Melissa A. Wilson Sayres have been added to the author list (associated with: School of Life Sciences, Center for Evolution and Medicine, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA). The author list and Author Information section have been corrected online.
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Human parvovirus B19 (B19V) is a ubiquitous human pathogen associated with a number of conditions, such as fifth disease in children and arthritis and arthralgias in adults. B19V is thought to evolve exceptionally rapidly among DNA... more
Human parvovirus B19 (B19V) is a ubiquitous human pathogen associated with a number of conditions, such as fifth disease in children and arthritis and arthralgias in adults. B19V is thought to evolve exceptionally rapidly among DNA viruses, with substitution rates previously estimated to be closer to those typical of RNA viruses. On the basis of genetic sequences up to ∼70 years of age, the most recent common ancestor of all B19V has been dated to the early 1800s, and it has been suggested that genotype 1, the most common B19V genotype, only started circulating in the 1960s. Here we present 10 genomes (63.9-99.7% genome coverage) of B19V from dental and skeletal remains of individuals who lived in Eurasia and Greenland from ∼0.5 to ∼6.9 thousand years ago (kya). In a phylogenetic analysis, five of the ancient B19V sequences fall within or basal to the modern genotype 1, and five fall basal to genotype 2, showing a long-term association of B19V with humans. The most recent common anc...
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The Yamnaya expansions from the western steppe into Europe and Asia during the Early Bronze Age (~3000 BCE) are believed to have brought with them Indo-European languages and possibly horse husbandry. We analyze 74 ancient whole-genome... more
The Yamnaya expansions from the western steppe into Europe and Asia during the Early Bronze Age (~3000 BCE) are believed to have brought with them Indo-European languages and possibly horse husbandry. We analyze 74 ancient whole-genome sequences from across Inner Asia and Anatolia and show that the Botai people associated with the earliest horse husbandry derived from a hunter-gatherer population deeply diverged from the Yamnaya. Our results also suggest distinct migrations bringing West Eurasian ancestry into South Asia before and after but not at the time of Yamnaya culture. We find no evidence of steppe ancestry in Bronze Age Anatolia from when Indo-European languages are attested there. Thus, in contrast to Europe, Early Bronze Age Yamnaya-related migrations had limited direct genetic impact in Asia.
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For thousands of years the Eurasian steppes have been a centre of human migrations and cultural change. Here we sequence the genomes of 137 ancient humans (about 1× average coverage), covering a period of 4,000 years, to understand the... more
For thousands of years the Eurasian steppes have been a centre of human migrations and cultural change. Here we sequence the genomes of 137 ancient humans (about 1× average coverage), covering a period of 4,000 years, to understand the population history of the Eurasian steppes after the Bronze Age migrations. We find that the genetics of the Scythian groups that dominated the Eurasian steppes throughout the Iron Age were highly structured, with diverse origins comprising Late Bronze Age herders, European farmers and southern Siberian hunter-gatherers. Later, Scythians admixed with the eastern steppe nomads who formed the Xiongnu confederations, and moved westward in about the second or third century BC, forming the Hun traditions in the fourth-fifth century AD, and carrying with them plague that was basal to the Justinian plague. These nomads were further admixed with East Asian groups during several short-term khanates in the Medieval period. These historical events transformed th...
Research Interests: Genetics, Archaeology, Anthropology, Genomics, Central Asia, and 15 moreAncient DNA Research, Eurasian Prehistory, Early Iron Age, Europe, aDNA Analysis, Chechen, Ancient human genetics, Asia, Farmers, Grassland, Alans, Early Steppe Nomadic peoples migrations and social life, European Continental Ancestry Group, Asian Continental Ancestry Group, and Ancient Indo European Languages
Rebun Island with Hamanaka and Funadomari among the 43 documented archaeological sites and the environmental archive stored in the Lake Kushu sediment proves to be one of the key areas to study the interplay between ecology, climate and... more
Rebun Island with Hamanaka and Funadomari among the 43 documented archaeological sites and the environmental archive stored in the Lake Kushu sediment proves to be one of the key areas to study the interplay between ecology, climate and human activities. This paper focuses on the potential of palaeobotanical records from Rebun Island for improving the chronological control and understanding of late Quaternary climate changes and habitation environments of northern hunter-gatherers in the Hokkaido Region of Japan. A set of 57 radiocarbon dates of the RK12 core (Lake Kushu) demonstrates that it represents a continuous environmental archive covering the last c. 17,000 years. The RK12 pollen record reflects distinct vegetation changes associated with the onset of the lateglacial warming about 15,000 cal. yr BP and the cold climate reversal after c. 13,000 cal. yr BP. The onset of the current Holocene interglacial after c. 11,700 cal. yr BP is marked by a major spread of trees. The middl...
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As a result of the limited application of portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) in archaeological research in Japan it is necessary to compare this technique to proven, laboratory-based, analytical techniques. In this study instrumental... more
As a result of the limited application of portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) in archaeological research in Japan it is necessary to compare this technique to proven, laboratory-based, analytical techniques. In this study instrumental neutron activation analysis, inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry, and electron probe microanalysis are used to validate pXRF and determine the overall suitability of this technique for archaeological obsidian provenance studies in Hokkaido, northern Japan. Furthermore, the results of this study are compared to previously published data to assess reproducibility and compatibility. This study demonstrates the reliability of pXRF for the rapid characterization of Hokkaido obsidian while contributing to the ongoing evaluation of the applicability of “off-the-shelf” pXRF to obsidian provenance research in archaeology.
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A data set of 116 AMS radiocarbon dates on human skeletal remains from an Early Neolithic (c. 7500–6700 cal BP) Shamanka II cemetery on Lake Baikal, Siberia, and associated carbon and nitrogen stable isotope values are analyzed for... more
A data set of 116 AMS radiocarbon dates on human skeletal remains from an Early Neolithic (c. 7500–6700 cal BP) Shamanka II cemetery on Lake Baikal, Siberia, and associated carbon and nitrogen stable isotope values are analyzed for insights about site chronology and dietary variation of this group of hunter–gatherers. All dates are corrected for the Freshwater Reservoir Effect (FRE) according to the correction equations developed using paired radiocarbon dates on human and terrestrial faunal remains from the same graves (Bronk Ramsey et al., 2014; Schulting et al., 2014). Further examination of the data set provides the following main findings. First, it identified the presence of two phases of cemetery use at Shamanka II, each of quite different duration, separated by a relatively long period of disuse lasting as much as 300–550 years. Second, it demonstrated presence of four groups of people during the long Phase 1 each with a slightly different dietary pattern: three displaying a temporal change toward greater reliance on aquatic foods and one group, which apparently did not experience a diet shift. Third, the results show that all individuals from the short Phase 2 evince a clear chronological trend towards increased dietary contribution of aquatic food and that this pattern repeats closely one of the three trends present in Phase 1. While a generally similar chronological dietary trend has been found recently also among the Early Neolithic groups from the nearby Angara valley (Weber et al., 2015), the Shamanka II population appears to be much more diverse in dietary terms than its neighbours to the northeast.
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Biomechanical analyses of past populations have primarily focused on adults and interpreted variation in limb bone robusticity as indicative of differences in behavior. However, prior to skeletal maturity large changes occur in limb bone... more
Biomechanical analyses of past populations have primarily focused on adults and interpreted variation in limb bone robusticity as indicative of differences in behavior. However, prior to skeletal maturity large changes occur in limb bone robusticity and shape. During ontogeny, the accrual of bone is regulated by differences in genetics and nutrition as well as mechanical loading. We consider how long bone robusticity changes from birth to young adulthood in order to understand when population differences appear during development and why this occurs. We analyzed the femoral and humeral midshafts of four prehistoric hunter-gatherer skeletal samples from four regions: Cis-Baikal, Siberia, Point Hope, Alaska, the central Japanese coast, and the South African Cape. Some statistically significant differences between populations manifest at birth or soon after. Some of this systemic patterning likely reflects adaptation of body shape to climate. Later Stone Age South Africans also appear to demonstrate low limb rigidity residuals as a result of growth towards a unique body type. Differentiation between populations also increases with age, pointing to functional adaptation as a result of behavioral differences. This proves largely concordant with other lines of evidence for differing levels of terrestrial and aquatic mobility in these populations.
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A data set of 87 radiocarbon determinations obtained for the Bronze Age Khuzhir-Nuge XIV cemetery in the Cis-Baikal region of Siberia is analyzed from the perspective of data quality and within the local archaeological context. Bone... more
A data set of 87 radiocarbon determinations obtained for the Bronze Age Khuzhir-Nuge XIV cemetery in the Cis-Baikal region of Siberia is analyzed from the perspective of data quality and within the local archaeological context. Bone preservation, expressed in terms of collagen ...
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ABSTRACT A large data set of geochemical data (87Sr/86Sr, 14C, δ13C, and δ15N) was obtained for a middle Holocene Early Bronze Age Khuzhir-Nuge XIV cemetery (∼4650–3950 cal. BP) in the Baikal region of Siberia. This material is analyzed... more
ABSTRACT A large data set of geochemical data (87Sr/86Sr, 14C, δ13C, and δ15N) was obtained for a middle Holocene Early Bronze Age Khuzhir-Nuge XIV cemetery (∼4650–3950 cal. BP) in the Baikal region of Siberia. This material is analyzed at the individual level and in the context of demographic data and spatial arrangements within the cemetery revealing a number of new insights about hunter–gatherer adaptive strategies in the region. During the Early Bronze Age, the Little Sea area of the Baikal region witnessed entire hunter–gatherer families migrating there from other parts of the Cis-Baikal, such as the Angara and upper Lena valleys. While all larger spatial units discernible at Khuzhir-Nuge XIV, such as the East, Centre, and West Sectors, scattered graves, and rows of graves, included individuals of local and non-local birth, it is evident that the area of origin was an important cultural variable well marked in the various smaller spatial arrangements such as the rows, sub-sectors, and groups of graves. The two different diets identified among the analyzed group of people (Game-Fish-Seal and Game-Fish) show interesting spatial distribution patterns. While both diets are present in the East and Centre Sectors, the West Sector is composed only of individuals characterized by the GFS diet. All locals subsisted on the GFS diet, while the non-locals featured a mix of individuals with either GFS or GF diet. It appears that status was not linked to the area of origin, for individuals of both local (GFS) and non-local diet (GF) were buried within the “rich” East Sector, however, in spatially separate arrangements suggesting further that the area of origin was an important social distinction among these high status individuals. The similarity in diet catchment patterns and diets for individuals interred in the same graves and row, and the differences between some rows, suggest existence of distinct foraging ranges used by separate social units, such as families.
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Skeletal growth is explored between Early Neolithic (EN) (8000 to 6800 BP) and Late Neolithic (LN) (6000 to 5200 BP) foragers from the Cis-Baikal region of Eastern Siberia. Previous studies suggest that increased systemic stress and... more
Skeletal growth is explored between Early Neolithic (EN) (8000 to 6800 BP) and Late Neolithic (LN) (6000 to 5200 BP) foragers from the Cis-Baikal region of Eastern Siberia. Previous studies suggest that increased systemic stress and smaller adult body size characterize the EN compared to LN. On this basis, greater evidence for stunting and wasting is expected in the EN compared to LN. Skeletal growth parameters assessed here include femoral and tibial lengths, estimated stature and body mass, femoral midshaft cortical thickness, total bone thickness, and medullary width. Forward selection was used to fit polynomial lines to each skeletal growth parameter relative to dental age in the pooled samples, and standardized residuals were compared between groups using t tests. Standardized residuals of body mass and femoral length were significantly lower in the EN compared to LN sample, particularly from late infancy through early adolescence. However, no significant differences in the standardized residuals for cortical thickness, medullary width, total bone thickness, tibial length, or stature were found between the groups. Age ranges for stunting in femoral length and wasting in body mass are consistent with environmental perturbations experienced at the cessation of breast feeding and general resource insecurity in the EN compared to LN sample. Differences in relative femoral but not tibial length may be associated with age-specific variation in growth-acceleration for the distal and proximal limb segments. Similarity in cortical bone growth between the two samples may reflect the combined influences of systemic and mechanical factors on this parameter.
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The Lake Baikal region of southern Siberia has a rich mortuary record that has provided the most comprehensive isotopic database for palaeodietary studies of north-temperate hunter-gatherers in the world, permitting more detailed... more
The Lake Baikal region of southern Siberia has a rich mortuary record that has provided the most comprehensive isotopic database for palaeodietary studies of north-temperate hunter-gatherers in the world, permitting more detailed reconstructions and finer-grained research questions than are usually possible. Building on previous work, this study contributes new δ13C, δ15N, and AMS radiocarbon dating results from the cemeteries of Verkholensk (n 1⁄4 44) in the Upper Lena River micro-region and Ulan-Khada (n 1⁄4 19) in the Little Sea micro-region. Our results reveal that the Late Neolithic (LN, 5570–4600 cal BP) individuals at Verkholensk exhibit higher δ15N values than in the Early Bronze Age (EBA, 4600–3700 cal BP), suggesting a shift to a more terrestrial diet, possibly in response to climate- induced environmental changes. In addition, EBA individuals at Verkholensk differ in both δ13C and δ15N from those at the nearby site of Obkhoi, suggesting territorial divisions at a surprisi...
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Dietary isotopic research, coupled with zooarchaeological and bioarchaeological analyses have indicated that fishing was an important element of Early Neolithic subsistence, contributing more to the diet through time, and may have... more
Dietary isotopic research, coupled with zooarchaeological and bioarchaeological analyses have indicated that fishing was an important element of Early Neolithic subsistence, contributing more to the diet through time, and may have contributed to social differentiation. In order to assess the relative cultural importance of fishing to Neolithic populations, multiple classes of grave goods and radiocarbon dates from the Shamanka II cemetery are analyzed for principal components. Specific relationships between prestige goods, fishing gear, and functional axes are hypothesized to exist if fishing are an important socioeconomic activity. Results suggest that there was no intensification of fishing by the Shamanka II population during two phases of use in the Early Neolithic, and indicate a lack of correlation between fishing gear, axes, and some prestige goods. There appears to be a relationship between the frequency of fishing and hunting gear and radiocarbon dates, and modest relationships between dietary isotopes, radiocarbon dates, and prestige goods. This suggests that while fishing specialists are present in Early Neolithic society and evidence suggests increasing importance of fishing during two separate phases of cemetery use, their role in providing important food resources did not translate to apparent prestige or wealth in certain grave goods during all periods of use at Shamanka II. During two phases of use, fishing, hunting, and non-wearable prestige goods became markedly more important towards the end of the first phase and dominant during a second phase of cemetery use. The role of Shamanka II as a cemetery indicate a biased cultural system if reflective of a community population, and appears to have shifted to a special use cemetery with specific demographic and spatial patterning after a hiatus of a century or more during the Early Neolithic.
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Thirty-three paired accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dates on human and terrestrial faunal remains from the same Neolithic and Early Bronze Age graves are used to develop a correction for the freshwater reservoir effect... more
Thirty-three paired accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dates on human and terrestrial faunal remains from the same Neolithic and Early Bronze Age graves are used to develop a correction for the freshwater reservoir effect (FRE) at Lake Baikal, Siberia. Excluding two outliers, stable nitrogen isotope (δ 15 N) values show a positive correlation (r 2 = 0.672, p < 0.000) with offsets in 14 C yr between paired human and fauna determinations. The highest offset observed in our data set is 622 yr, which is close to the value of ~700 yr suggested for endemic seals in the lake. For each per mil increase in δ 15 N, the offset increases by 77 ± 10 yr in the overall data set. However, there are indications that different regression models apply in each of two microregions of Cis-Baikal. In the first, sites on the southwest shore of the lake and along the Angara River show a strong positive correlation between δ 15 N values and offsets in 14 C yr (r 2 = 0.814, p < 0.000). In the other, the Little Sea, both δ 13 C and δ 15 N values make significant contributions to the model (adjusted r 2 = 0.878; δ 13 C p < 0.001; δ 15 N p < 0.000). This can be related to the complex 13 C ecology of the lake, which displays one of the widest ranges of δ 13 C values known for any natural ecosystem. The results will be important in terms of refining the culture-history of the region, as well as exploring the dynamic interactions of hunter-gatherer communities both synchronically and diachronically.
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... NEW LIGHT ON OLD MODELS ... the invention of shaft straighteners, and the use of very fine re-touch on flaked stone artifacts (advancements in fishing gear were ... Since the Sayany Moun-tains, west of Lake Baikal, are the only source... more
... NEW LIGHT ON OLD MODELS ... the invention of shaft straighteners, and the use of very fine re-touch on flaked stone artifacts (advancements in fishing gear were ... Since the Sayany Moun-tains, west of Lake Baikal, are the only source of green nephrite in Siberia, these finds are ...
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Previous geochemical work conducted on the materials from the Khuzhir-Nuge XIV cemetery on Lake Baikal, Siberia, has demonstrated the effectiveness of using 87Sr/86Sr ratio analysis in interpreting mobility patterns among Early Bronze Age... more
Previous geochemical work conducted on the materials from the Khuzhir-Nuge XIV cemetery on Lake Baikal, Siberia, has demonstrated the effectiveness of using 87Sr/86Sr ratio analysis in interpreting mobility patterns among Early Bronze Age hunter-gatherer groups. The research reported here focuses on six small cemeteries representing the Little Sea and Upper Lena micro-regions as well the Early Neolithic and Early Bronze Age periods, thus expanding both the geographic and chronological scope of the previous work. The reference collection of environmental samples, to document bioavailability of the measured geochemical tracers, was also expanded substantially by inclusion of samples of modern plants and water from Lake Baikal and a number of surrounding rivers. First, second, and third molars of 14 adult individuals were tested for 87Sr/86Sr ratios as well as rare earth and trace element concentrations using LA-ICP-MS. Each human tooth was micro-sampled at four locations along the crown enamel thus providing data of higher temporal resolution relative to a single sampling locus. Geochemical signatures for water, plant and animal bone samples were found to be far more variable across the region than predicted based on the age and type of geologic formations. 87Sr/86Sr ratios for cultural micro-regions proved to overlap significantly and required trace element data to identify more discrete geochemical groups. The level of hunter-gatherer mobility between and within the analyzed micro-regions was found to be significant with individuals recovered from the Upper Lena showing contact with the Little Sea micro-region along the northwest coast of the lake.
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This paper is an attempt at defining the social functions of the unchambered megalithic long barrows found in the upowa group of the Funnel Beaker Culture (TRB). The authors assume that their aim can be achieved by employing a cultural... more
This paper is an attempt at defining the social functions of the unchambered megalithic long barrows found in the upowa group of the Funnel Beaker Culture (TRB). The authors assume that their aim can be achieved by employing a cultural ecological approach, which leads ...
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ABSTRACT Thirty-three paired accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dates on human and terrestrial faunal remains from the same Neolithic and Early Bronze Age graves are used to develop a correction for the freshwater reservoir... more
ABSTRACT Thirty-three paired accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dates on human and terrestrial faunal remains from the same Neolithic and Early Bronze Age graves are used to develop a correction for the freshwater reservoir effect (FRE) at Lake Baikal, Siberia. Excluding two outliers, stable nitrogen isotope (delta N-15) values show a positive correlation (r(2) = 0.672, p &lt; 0.000) with offsets in C-14 yr between paired human and fauna determinations. The highest offset observed in our data set is 622 yr, which is close to the value of similar to 700 yr suggested for endemic seals in the lake. For each per mil increase in delta N-15, the offset increases by 77 +/- 10 yr in the overall data set. However, there are indications that different regression models apply in each of two microregions of Cis-Baikal. In the first, sites on the southwest shore of the lake and along the Angara River show a strong positive correlation between delta N-15 values and offsets in C-14 yr (r(2) = 0.814, p &lt; 0.000). In the other, the Little Sea, both delta C-13 and delta N-15 values make significant contributions to the model (adjusted r(2) = 0.878; delta C-13 p &lt; 0.001; delta N-15 p &lt; 0.000). This can be related to the complex C-13 ecology of the lake, which displays one of the widest ranges of delta C-13 values known for any natural ecosystem. The results will be important in terms of refining the culture-history of the region, as well as exploring the dynamic interactions of hunter-gatherer communities both synchronically and diachronically.
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Rich settlement and burial evidence from the Baikal/Angara region in Central Siberia provides one of the most promising opportunities in the global boreal forest for studying Holocene foragers. The Neolithic and Early Bronze Age... more
Rich settlement and burial evidence from the Baikal/Angara region in Central Siberia provides one of the most promising opportunities in the global boreal forest for studying Holocene foragers. The Neolithic and Early Bronze Age prehistory of the region is known to western ...
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This paper employs a new three-part method for documenting skeletal condition in order to examine human taphonomy at the Glaskovo (5000–3700 BP, calibrated) cemetery of Khuzhir-Nuge XIV, located in the Lake Baikal region of Siberia... more
This paper employs a new three-part method for documenting skeletal condition in order to examine human taphonomy at the Glaskovo (5000–3700 BP, calibrated) cemetery of Khuzhir-Nuge XIV, located in the Lake Baikal region of Siberia (Russia). Relationships among three distinct aspects of condition – completeness, fragmentation, and articulation – and 15 identified taphonomic factors are investigated in order to explain
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The nature of long bone formation and the pathways of interaction between bone samples and the burial environment suggest that portions of the bones disconnected from the arterial system are resistant to diagenetic alteration.... more
The nature of long bone formation and the pathways of interaction between bone samples and the burial environment suggest that portions of the bones disconnected from the arterial system are resistant to diagenetic alteration. Preliminary work on femurs from Early Bronze Age hunter-gatherers in Cis-Baikal, Siberia shows that the nature and progression of chemical changes in the bone matrix due to microbial attack can be analyzed using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Intra-osteon variability in elemental concentrations and strontium isotope ratios (87Sr/86Sr) indicate the presence of unaltered portions of bone within diagenetically modified bone and suggest that useful data remain accessible. These biogenic signals can potentially be useful for mobility research in broad terms and the smaller timescales within an individual’s lifetime (months, years), accessible therein. Laser ablation microsampling of femur specimens showed that intra-osteon elemental composition of Ba, Re, and Cs varied within and was correlated between multiple osteons of a single bone. Portions of chemically unaffected bone were identified within, and effectively discriminated from diagenetically altered bone tissue. Areas showing visual alterations and erratic or uncorrelated Ca and Sr elemental results also had anomalous Sr isotope ratios, suggesting diagenetic alteration in those places. Compositional and isotopic analysis of intact portions of bone supports the hypothesis that hunter-gatherer groups in Cis-Baikal made numerous major movements during their lives. Microscopic analysis of long bones clarifies aspects of biodeterioration and correlations between trace elemental results and diagenetic alteration. Microsampling of intact portions of bone expands the scope of available materials for research on mobility and other aspects of human past behaviour.