Isotope analysis

In this pilot-study, which was designed to assess the range of isotopic variation in English medieval populations, we present the results of stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen of human and animal bone collagen from three later medieval sites in Northern England. The isotopic values observed for the rural hospital of St. Giles by Brompton Bridge (N. Yorks.), the

High precision lead isotope analysis by Multi Collector Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry was applied to the investigation of more than 240 Roman lead objects from several archaeological sites in Germany, in order to obtain information on the pattern of Roman mining activity ...

We outline a method that both incorporates quantitative and qualitative elements and positions ethnoarchaeological analogy at the center of analysis and interpretation. Exploring ethnographic analogs provides models that assist in the articulation of disparate data, such as paleoethnobotanical and zooarchaeological remains, and frameworks for interpretation of stable isotopic results. Our approach is meaningfocused, with the goal of understanding the social life of people in the past through their foodways. This method is illustrated with data from Jones’ ethnoarchaeological research in Fiji’s Lau Island Group and Quinn’s laboratory-based stable isotope analysis of human bone. We argue that food and customs associated with eating are mechanisms for the definition and maintenance of meaningful social structures and cultural identities that are accessible to archaeologists through interdisciplinary approaches. In this case study, we reconstruct a holistic view of subsistence and foodways using zooarchaeological and stable isotopic data, interpreted through a framework of ethnoarchaeological analogs.

This thesis explores the biological and socio-cultural variability in the populations inhabiting the hinterland and the lower Pescara valley during the 6th-4th centuries BC. These populations, also called Vestini by Roman and Greek historians, were organised in groups of villages, and they were involved in exchange networks with the surrounding cultures. Aside from the archaeological evidence, very little attention has been focused on the human element, on daily practices in life and in death, and on the ways in which these people understood and expressed who they were.
This dissertation, therefore, seeks to determine whether there were differences in diet, health, and identity among different populations’ groups in this region. If differences were found, another aim was to understand how they differed and what inferences could be made to explain the possible reasons for such variability. The research takes a biocultural approach, employing osteological analysis, dental microwear and isotope analysis, for a simultaneous examination of multiple markers of physiological stress and disease, diet indicators and mobility. This, then, paired with an evaluation of funerary customs and material assemblages in burials, provides a multifaceted image of the individuals’ life history. Five cemeteries are included in the study: Loreto Aprutino-Cappuccini, Moscufo-Via Petrarca, and Spoltore-Quagliera, Pescara-Ex Gesuiti, and Nocciano.
Despite limitations due to the small sample size, differences in health and diet are clearly present within and across the cemeteries. Potentially non-local individuals are identified at Loreto Aprutino-Cappuccini. Subtle differences in funerary practices are noted among the cemeteries, but primarily and interestingly between the hinterland and the coastal area. In light of these biological and cultural observations, this investigation into the populations settled in the hinterland and the lower Pescara valley in Abruzzo, can be used as a first step towards a greater understanding of the life and death of small Italic communities in the 6th-4th centuries BC.

To explore the use of sulphur isotopes as an indicator of the consumption of freshwater fish, we undertook sulphur isotope analysis on bone collagen extracted from humans and animals from five archaeological sites from the Danube Gorges region dating from the Mesolithic to the middle Neolithic periods. The results show a difference in the sulphur isotope values between freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems of 8.7‰. To reconstruct human diets, bone collagen from 24 individuals was analysed for carbon, nitrogen and sulphur isotopic values. The nitrogen isotope ratios ranged from 10.3 to 16.5‰ and the carbon isotope ratios ranged from −20.8 to −18.3‰. Low nitrogen isotope values were found for individuals with low sulphur isotope ratios reflecting the low sulphur isotopic values of the terrestrial animals. The highest human nitrogen isotope values coincided with higher sulphur isotope ratios, which are related to the higher sulphur isotope values of the freshwater fish. Intermediate human sulphur isotopic ratios between these two extremes showed mixed diets of both terrestrial and freshwater resources.

The present study employs δ34S analysis to investigate the potential of this method in the investigation of local/geographic origin for the 12 individuals buried collectively over the ruins of a Bronze Age building, under a tumulus, in Thebes, Greece, and to help in the understanding of this unique case in Greek archaeology. Sulphur isotope analysis of bone collagen is applied with increasing frequency to elucidate aspects of paleodiet and movement in archaeology. Sulphur is linked to local geology and can also be used to indicate proximity of people and animals to the sea. The osteoarchaeological analysis of the assemblage revealed that it included individuals of both sexes and all age groups, a configuration which could traditionally be interpreted as an extended family. The absence of synchronous burials in Thebes amplifies the importance of this assemblage. At the same time, traditional archaeological practice has been unable to elucidate the conditions that led to this event, proposing a biological affinity for the individuals and personal reasons for their extinction. However, sulphur isotope analysis clearly demonstrated that at least one of the individuals had spend the last years of life in an environment different from the rest, a fact likely to indicate a rather random composition of this assemblage.

An important role has been envisaged for cattle during the Neolithic period in Britain based on their prominence within the faunal assemblages of the period as a whole. The relative ease with which cattle can be moved over long distances and the requirement to provide ample pastureland leads almost inescapably to the consideration of prehistoric cattle movement. This paper presents

An early medieval burial site from 10th century provided anthropological material from the skeletal remains of nineteen adults with anthropological determination of sex in order to study the composition of their diet by means of the analysis of stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes in the bones. This serie contains 65,5% of all adults buried on the site. The isotope values point towards terrestrial diet with a relatively high proportion of millet. Although grave goods show differences in wealth, the low variability of the isotopic values suggests a homogenous diet of the whole population group. Isotopic values acquired from location situated in a close distance to Prague Castle were compared with those from burial sites within the castle complex and with those in its hinterland. The comparison points towards asocioeconomic gradient in the diet in comparison with the Prague Castle population, but in contrast to other series from the hinterlands of Přemyslid centres, Střešovice-Triangl shows above-average quality.

Maize played a major role in Chaco's interaction with outlying communities in the southern Colorado Plateau. This paper seeks to determine where archaeological corn cobs brought to Chaco Canyon were grown. Strontium-isotope and trace-metal ratios of 180 soil-water and 18 surface-water sites in the Southern Colorado Plateau have revealed possible source areas for some of 37 archaeological corn cobs from Chaco Canyon and 10 archaeological corn cobs from Aztec Ruin, New Mexico. The most probable source areas for cobs that predate the middle-12th-century drought include several Upper Rio Chaco sites (not including Chaco Canyon). There are many potential source areas for cobs that date to the late A.D. 1100s and early 1200s, all of which lie in the eastern part of the study area. Some Athapascan-age cobs have potential source areas in the Totah, Lobo Mesa, and Dinetah regions. One Gallo Cliff Dwelling cob has a strontium-isotope ratio that exceeds all measured soil-water values. Field sites for this cob may exist in association with Paleozoic and Precambrian rocks found 80–90 km from Chaco Canyon. Potential source areas for most Aztec Ruin cobs (many of which were found in rooms dating to the first half of the 13th-century) appear to be associated with a loess deposit that blankets the Mesa Verde and McElmo Dome regions.

En partant d'une presentation critique du modele de la revolution des « productions secondaires » de Sherratt, les auteurs resument les recentes preuves biochimiques, isotopiques et paleogenetiques de l'exploitation neolithique du lait en Europe. Elles suggerent que l'exploitation laitiere s'est developpee bien avant la revolution des « productions secondaires ». Dans un second temps, ils concentrent leur propos sur les indices osteoarcheologiques au Proche-Orient et en Europe mediterraneenne. En s'appuyant sur les recentes ameliorations des techniques archeozoologiques de construction et d'interpretation des profils d'abattage qui traduisent les strategies de gestion des animaux, ils analysent 36 de ces profils pour les moutons ou chevres (caprines) et 17 pour les bovins. Ils mettent en evidence l'exploitation laitiere des caprines des les tout premiers stades du Neolithique dans les deux regions concernees, et suggerent fortement l'utilisation d...

The Late Bronze Age is a period of great importance in prehistoric Greece, due to the rise of the Mycenaean and Minoan civilizations. Settlements, palatial complexes and cemeteries have been excavated whilst a plethora of findings among which wall paintings and artifacts provided a large amount of information regarding the period. In this paper we examine the sources of dietary protein of four populations, from mainland Greece, in light of documentary and archaeological evidence in an effort to identify dietary trends within and between groups that reflect everyday behavior. These are being studied with the aid of biomolecular archaeology using stable isotope analysis in human and faunal remains. Isotopic data to date suggests a rather homogeneous diet mainly based on C3 plant and animal protein. There are no individuals with δ13C and δ15N values that could represent important marine protein intake, despite proximity to the Aegean Sea.

The Neolithic period is synonymous with a major step in human development – the domestication of plants and animals and the beginning of farming. In Europe, the shift to agriculture starts around 7000 cal BC, spreading across the continent over several thousand years. The island of Ireland lies geographically and chronologically at the end of this trajectory, in the centuries around 4000 cal BC.
As in many parts of Europe, pottery appears in Ireland at the same time as farming, and examining the contents of pottery vessels can provide great insight into the lifestyles of early farming communities. SCHERD (a Study of Cuisine and animal Husbandry among Early farmers via Residue analysis and radiocarbon Dating) is a recently completed two-year research project based at the Organic Geochemistry Unit, University of Bristol, which saw the systematic analysis of ancient organic residues in nearly 500 pots from fifteen Irish Neolithic sites (c. 4000 – 2500 cal BC). Eight of these fifteen sites were recently excavated along Irish road schemes.

Molecular and stable isotope analyses undertaken on the fat residues preserved in these pots have firmly established that dairying was taking place in early Neolithic Ireland. Indeed, current evidence indicates that by the time farming arrives at the western edge of Europe, i.e. the islands of Britain and Ireland, dairying is a key—perhaps even the primary— component of farming practice. T

L'ensemble des amas coquilliers du littoral de Mauritanie représente un exemple exceptionnel, en milieu tropical sec, de l'utilisation de ressources marines du rivage. Pendant au moins 6 millénaires, des hommes ont vécu sur le rivage ou l'ont saisonnièrement ...

The stable isotope ratio and seasonal changes in diet of two indigenous (Oreochromis mossambicus, Tilapia rendalli) and one exotic (Oreochromis niloticus) tilapiine cichlids in the subtropical Limpopo River, South Africa were investigated to determine patterns of resource partitioning. Stomach contents of O. niloticus and O. mossambicus indicated high dietary overlap across size class, habitat and season, with both species primarily feeding on vegetative detritus. However, stable isotope analysis revealed that the two Oreochromis species had different stable isotope ratios derived from different food sources. The relatively δ13C-depleted O. niloticus indicates a phytoplankton-based diet, while the δ13C-enriched O. mossambicus indicates a macrophagous diet dominated by vegetative detritus and periphyton. The high similarity in stomach contents and the interspecific differences in isotopic composition reveal fine-scale patterns of food resource partitioning that could be achieved through selective feeding. Tilapia rendalli was largely macrophagous and fed mainly on aquatic macrophytes and had a low dietary overlap with both O. niloticus and O. mossambicus. In the Limpopo River, detritus and algae are probably the most abundant food resources and the causal factors responsible for the observed patterns of resource partitioning among the tilapiines are usually difficult to ascertain. Fish may be able to perceive food resources in terms of the dynamics that determine their availability. Detailed studies of variation in food resource availability and fish habitat use within the system are needed to evaluate this hypothesis.

Analyses of 71 Roman provincial silver coins of the Julio-Claudian emperors (27 BC-AD 68) minted at Caesarea in Cappadocia and Antioch and Tyre in Syria are discussed in this paper. The finenesses of the alloys are presented and it is proposed that there was a logical relationship between the standards used for Caesarea and Antioch. Trace element profiles and selected

Abstract Stable isotopes of nitrogen (δ15N) provide information that can be used to calculate, in a quasi-continuous manner, the trophic position (TP) of organisms within particular food webs. The estimation of the TP is fundamental to analyze cases in which some degree of omnivory is involved. Humans, as a species, are trophic omnivores that use plant and animal tissues as food sources, although in an intraspecific context they tend to significantly vary in their respective degree of omnivory. In archaeology, the use of stable isotopes to infer past diets is widespread; however, the formal assessment of TP is rare. In this paper we describe a method to simultaneously calculate and map the TP of past human populations across large spaces, involving wide environmental variation. This method uses, as inputs, δ15N isoscapes corresponding to (i) primary producer/s, (ii) a taxon of primary consumers with wide spatial distribution and (iii) humans. The first two isoscapes function as the needed baselines for TP calculation. The approach is exemplified with data from central and southern Argentina and Chile (southern South America, 30°–56° S).

ABSTRACT Late Bronze Age glass in Mesopotamia, Egypt and Greece was made from silica and plant ashes. Around 1200 BC in Europe a new glass type appears of a mixed alkali composition. Although the highest concentration of this glass is found at Frattesina in the Veneto, northern Italy there is no absolute proof that it was fused there from raw materials. A variety of possible alkali raw materials have been suggested but there is still no certainty about its identity. The chemical compositions of these mixed alkali glasses are characterised by a series of mixing lines which suggest that raw materials or glasses were mixed. To address these issues we present here the first set of radiogenic isotope (87Sr/86Sr and 143Nd/144Nd) results for highly coloured samples of 11th century BC raw and waste glass from Frattesina together with new isotopic results for northern Italian silica and plant samples. Although a relatively small number, the isotopic results suggest that primary production of mixed alkali glass occurred in northern Italy. Moreover, it can be suggested that two of the samples were made from a mixture of different glasses, with contrasting isotopic signatures, one probably deriving from northern Italy and the other from a non-local source. This indicates that there were two production centres for mixed-alkali glass. We have shown that Frattesina glasses were made using isotopically distinct raw materials from those used to make the slightly earlier Late Bronze Age Mesopotamian and Egyptian plant ash glasses. Even though we have tested a small number of samples the isotopic results nevertheless provide significant new evidence for these mixed-alkali glasses being the first European glasses.

The butter clam, Saxidomus gigantea, is one of the most commonly recovered bivalves from archaeological shell middens on the Pacific Coast of North America. This study presents the results of the sclerochronology of modern specimens of S. gigantea, collected monthly from Pender Island (British Columbia), and additional modern specimens from the Dundas Islands (BC) and Mink and Little Takli Islands (Alaska). The methods presented can be used as a template to interpret local environmental conditions and increase the precision of seasonality estimates in shellfish using sclerochronology and oxygen isotope analysis. This method can also identify, with a high degree of accuracy, the date of shell collection to the nearest fortnightly cycle, the time of day the shell was collected and the approximate tidal elevation (i.e., approx. water depth and distance from the shoreline) from which the shell was collected.Life-history traits of S. gigantea were analyzed to understand the timing of growth line formation, the duration of the growing season, the growth rate, and the reliability of annual increments. We also examine the influence of the tidal regime and freshwater mixing in estuarine locations and how these variables can affect both incremental structures and oxygen isotope values. The results of the sclerochronological analysis show that there is a latitudinal trend in shell growth that needs to be considered when using shells for seasonality studies.Oxygen isotope analysis reveals clear annual cycles with the most positive values corresponding to the annual winter growth lines, and the most negative values corresponding to high temperatures during the summer. Intra-annual increment widths demonstrate clear seasonal oscillations with broadest increments in summer and very narrow increments or no growth during the winter months. This study provides new insights into the biology, geochemistry and seasonal growth of S. gigantea, which are crucial for paleoclimate reconstructions and interpreting seasonality patterns of past human collection.